Electron Microscopy of Defects in Epitaxical β‐SiC Thin Films Grown on Silicon and Carbon {0001} Faces of α‐SiC Substrates

Defects present in β‐SiC thin films epitaxically grown on hexagonal 6Hα‐SiC substrates via chemical vapor deposition have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy. These defects are different from those previously observed in β‐SiC films grown on (100) silicon, which were predominantly stacking faults and microtwins. The most common defects in the films grown on α‐SiC were large domains rotated 60° with respect to each other and were identified as double positioning boundaries. These boundaries are a special type of incoherent twin boundary. Differences observed in films grown on either the silicon or carbon face of the {0001}α‐SiC are characterized as a function of the mechanism of formation of the defects and type of substrate used for growth.