Identification of stacking faults in silicon carbide by polarization-resolved second harmonic generation microscopy

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 4870 - 9
• Main Authors: Hristu, Radu, Stanciu, Stefan G., Tranca, Denis E., Polychroniadis, Efstathios K., Stanciu, George A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07.07.2017; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/301/930/2735; 639/624/1107/328; Electronic equipment; Growth conditions; Humanities and Social Sciences; Microscopy; multidisciplinary; Periodicity; Point defects; Polarization; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Silicon; Silicon carbide; Stacking
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05010-y

Although silicon carbide is a highly promising crystalline material for a wide range of electronic devices, extended and point defects which perturb the lattice periodicity hold deep implications with respect to device reliability. There is thus a great need for developing new methods that can detect silicon carbide defects which are detrimental to device functionality. Our experiment demonstrates that polarization-resolved second harmonic generation microscopy can extend the efficiency of the “optical signature” concept as an all-optical rapid and non-destructive set of investigation methods for the differentiation between hexagonal and cubic stacking faults in silicon carbide. This technique can be used for fast and in situ characterization and optimization of growth conditions for epilayers of silicon carbide and similar materials.