Investigation of antiphase domain annihilation mechanism in 3C-SiC on Si substrates

We have proposed a model in order to explain antiphase domains (APDs) annihilation in 3C-SiC on Si (001) substrates. The models proposed so far have been classified by the planes in which antiphase boundaries (APBs) propagate. We examined these conventional models from the viewpoint of incorrect-bond sequence contained in APB and clarified the correlation between the elongated direction of APBs on initial (001) surfaces and the direction of APBs propagation along growth axis. And then, we tried to decide the suitable incorrect-bond sequence to explain the APDs annihilation in 3C-SiC on Si from the surface morphology at initial growth stage, and confirmed the validity of the model by simulation under the restricted condition of layer-by-layer growth. Next, in order to explain our experimental results, we extended the model by considering the existence of steps on the surfaces and the growth modes, and proposed a model. Finally, we showed the validity of our model by the simulation and demonstrated the capability of our model by applying other systems, e.g., GaAs on Si and GaAs on Ge. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.