Defect-induced polytype transformations in LPE grown SiC epilayers on (1 1 1) 3C-SiC seeds grown by VLS on 6H-SiC

The results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with low-temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) and Raman studies of liquid phase grown epilayers on top of a vapor liquid solid (VLS) grown 3C-SiC buffer layer are compared. While the 6H-SiC substrate was completely covered by the 3C-SiC seed after the first VLS process, degradation occurred during the early stage of the liquid phase epitaxy process. This resulted in polytype instabilities, such that several rhombohedral forms stabilized one after the other. These (21R-SiC, 57R-SiC) eventually led after few microns to a final transition back to 6H-SiC. This interplay of polytypes resulted in a complex optical signature, with specific LTPL and Raman features.