Pair-Generation of the Basal-Plane-Dislocation during Crystal Growth of SiC

4H-SiC was grown on 4H-SiC (1 (1) over bar 00) substrates by sublimation boule growth, and transmission electron microscopic investigation was carried out. Two basal-plane-dislocations in the same basal plane (the BPD pair), whose dislocation line extend toward the [1100] growth direction, were observed as aligned along [0001]. The density of the BPD pairs along [0001] was in the same order with that of the stacking faults in the sample. A threading screw-dislocation was observed in between aligned BPD pairs. It is proposed that the interaction between stacking faults and threading screw-dislocations on the grown surface generates the BPD pairs. Since a high density of stacking faults is inherent to the growth on the substrates perpendicular to (0001), keeping an atomically flat grown surface is important to prevent the generation of the threading screw-dislocations, and thus to suppress the generation of the BPD pairs in case of the growth on (1 (2) over bar 00) and/or (11 (2) over bar0) substrates.