Characteristics of Dislocation Half-Loop Arrays in 4H-SiC Homo-Epilayer

Dislocation “half-loop arrays” (HLAs) in 4H-SiC homo-epilayers are studied by molten KOH etching and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is found that the dislocation half-loops in an array exist at different depths in the epilayer, and they are aligned roughly but not exactly perpendicular to the off-cut direction. These results indicate that the dislocation half-loops in an array are not formed simultaneously, but the array extends by generation of new half-loops during growth. It is also demonstrated that the HLAs can be artificially induced by creating strain in the material, followed by annealing.