Cross Section and Plan View STEM Analysis on Identical Conversion Point of Basal Plane Dislocation to Threading Edge Dislocation of 4H-SiC

Cross section and plan view dislocation analysis at the conversion point of a basal plane dislocation (BPD) into a threading edge dislocation (TED) in a silicon carbide epitaxial wafer was developed using a newly modified multi directional scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) technique. Cross section STEM observation in the [-1100] direction, found a conversion point located 5.5 μm from the surface, where two dislocation lines in the basal plane convert into one dislocation line nearly along the hexagonal c axis was observed. Using plan view STEM observation along the [000-1] direction, it is confirmed that the dislocation lines are two partial dislocations of a BPD and one TED by g·b invisibility analysis. This new technique is a powerful tool to evaluate the fundamental dislocation characteristics of power electronics devices.