Although a high-quality homoepitaxial layer of 4H‑silicon carbide(4H-SiC)can be obtained on a 4°off-axis substrate using chemical vapor deposition,the reduction of defects is still a focus of research.In this study,several kinds of surface defects in the 4H-SiC homoepitaxial layer are systemically investigated,including triangles,carrots,surface pits,basal plane dislocations,and step bunching.Themorphologies and structures of surface defects are further discussed via optical microscopy and potassium hydroxide-based defect selective etching analysis.Through research and analysis,we found that the origin of surface defects in the 4H-SiC homoepitaxial layer can be attributed to two aspects:the propagation of substrate defects,such as scratches,dislocation,and inclusion,and improper process parameters during epitaxial growth,such as in-situ etch,C/Si ratio,and growth temperature.It is believed that the surface defects in the 4H-SiC homoepitaxial layer can be significantly decreased by precisely controlling the chemistry on the deposition surface during the growth process.
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