Stacking fault formation in SiC p-i-n diodes of (11-20) orientation

Formation of stacking faults in 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes fabricated on a (11-20) oriented substrate was investigated using optical emission microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The stacking faults developed and expanded in basal planes under forward bias with current densities between 1.0 and 100 A/cm(2). Preexistent basal plane dislocations threading the blocking layer served as nucleation sites. Transmission electron microscopy identified the stacking faults as single-layer Shockley type. The stacking fault expansion in diodes on (11-20) wafers is inconsistent with substrate-induced biaxial stress as the driving force. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.