Energy barriers for point-defect reactions in 3C-SiC

Energy barriers of the key annealing reactions of neutral and charged point defects in SiC are calculated with ab initio density functional theory methods. In order to effectively search for the lowest energy migration paths the preliminary path is first established based on ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. The energy barrier of each hop is then calculated via climbing image nudged elastic band methods for paths guided by the AIMD simulations. The final paths and barriers are determined by comparing different pathways. The annealing reactions have important implications in understanding the amorphization, recovery, and other aspects of the radiation response of SiC. The results are compared with the literature data and experimental results on SiC recovery and amorphization. We propose that the C interstitial and Si antisite annealing reaction may provide a critical barrier that governs both the recovery stage III and amorphization processes.