Thirty-six large, up to 3-inch-diameter, epitaxial 4H-SiC samples were mapped by photoluminescence imaging. In-grown stacking
faults (IGSFs) for both 8°- and 4°-offcut were examined structurally and spectrally. Imaging at various spectral bands revealed
different features for IGSFs. For the 8°-offcut, IGSFs possessed two well-defined shapes, while for the 4°-offcut IGSFs appear
with a variety of shapes. The difference in IGSF formations between 8°- and 4°-offcut is currently unknown. Screw dislocations
displaced the IGSF basal plane, producing line defects that possessed irregular intensity. Rough estimates of the IGSF density
were performed over representative regions of the whole wafers with some wafers having <1 cm
−2 while others had >100 cm
−2. Most IGSFs (>95%) originated at the epilayer/substrate interface, revealed by a small triangle in the buffer layer. Particles
were responsible for the few IGSFs formed after the initial growth. The results suggested that pregrowth treatment and initial
growth conditions were responsible for forming a majority of the IGSFs.
Keywords Photoluminescence (PL) - luminescence imaging - in-grown stacking faults - stacking faults - extended defects - SiC - 4H-SiC