Overview

Results obtained in recent studies of deep centers in 6H- , 4H-, and 3C-SiC are analyzed. The ionization energies and capture cross sections of centers formed by doping of SiC with different types of impurities or by irradiation, as well as the corresponding parameters of intrinsic defects, are presented. The involvement of these centers in radiative and nonradiative recombination is examined. Analysis of published data shows that a strong influence is exerted by intrinsic defects in the SiC crystal lattice both on the formation of deep centers and on the properties of the epitaxial layers themselves, such as their doping level and polytype homogeneity.

Keywords: Silicon carbide, deep levels, capacitance spectroscopy, electroluminescence.