Hollow-core screw dislocations in 6H-SiC single crystals: A test of Frank’s theory

Hollow-core screw dislocations, also known as “micropipes”, along the [0001] axis in 6H-SiC single crystals, have been studied by synchrotron white beam x-ray topography (SWBXT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Nomarski optical microscopy (NOM). Using SWBXT, the magnitude of the Burgers vector of screw dislocations has been determined by measuring the following four parameters: (1) the diameter of dislocation images in back-reflection topographs; (2) the width of bimodal dislocation images in transmission topographs; (3) the magnitude of the tilt of lattice planes on both sides of dislocation core in projection topographs; and (4) the magnitude of the tilt of lattice planes in section topographs. The four methods show good agreement. SEM results reveal that micropipes emerge as holes on the as-grown surface, with their diameters ranging from about 0.1 to a few micrometers. Correlation between topographic images and SEM micrographs shows that micropipes are hollow-core screw dislocations with Burgers vector magnitudes from 2c to 7c (c is the lattice parameter along the [0001] axis). There is no empirical evidence that 1c dislocations have hollow cores. The Burgers vector magnitude of screw disloca-tions, b, and the diameter of associated micropipes, D, were fitted to Frank’s prediction for hollow-core screw dislocations: D = μb²/4π²γ, where μ is shear modulus, and γ is specific surface energy. Statistical analysis of the relationship between D and b² shows that it is approximately linear, and the constant γ/μ ranges from 1.1 × 10⁻³ to 1.6 × l0⁻³ nm.