Basal plane partial dislocations in silicon carbide

Under operating conditions (forward bias) bipolar 4H- and 6H-SiC devices are known to degrade rapidly through stacking fault formation and expansion in the basal plane. It has been suggested that a recombination-enhanced dislocation glide (REDG) mechanism allows the bordering Shockley partial dislocations to overcome their barrier to glide motion and thus results in the observed stacking fault growth. In this work, we investigate the structure and properties of the participating Shockley partials by means of density functional-based atomistic calculations. Their glide motion is modelled in a process involving the formation and subsequent migration of kinks. This in combination with an analysis of the electronic structure of the partials allows an identification of those types which will be affected by the REDG mechanism.