Long Charge Carrier Lifetime in As-Grown 4H-SiC Epilayer

Over 150 μm thick epilayers of 4H-SiC with long carrier lifetime have been grown with a chlorinated growth process. The carrier lifetime have been determined by time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), the lifetime varies a lot between different areas of the sample. This study investigates the origins of lifetime variations in different regions using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), low temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) and a combination of KOH etching and optical microscopy. From optical microscope images it is shown that the area with the shortest carrier lifetime corresponds to an area with high density of structural defects.