Photoluminescence, stacking faults, and carrier transport in n-type 3C-SiC/Si(100) structures grown by endotaxial HT-CVD

We present a comprehensive study of photoluminescence (PL) and electrical transport in n-type 3C-SiC/Si(100) heterostructures grown by high-temperature chemical vapor deposition (HT-CVD) in an endotaxial regime at 1340–1360 °C. The PL spectrum of sample KEF-32 is deconvoluted into four Gaussian components centered at 385, 433, 511, and 563 nm, which are attributed to near-band-edge (NBE) recombination in strained 3C-SiC, donor–acceptor pair (DAP) transitions, and recombination at stacking faults (SFs) and associative impurity–defect complexes. For sample KEF-32-5, grown at the upper level of the graphite container, the PL spectrum is confined to the 383–464 nm range and lacks a distinct deep-level band at 2.2 eV, indicating a modified role of SF-related centers and a redistribution of recombination away from the current-carrying volume. Hall-effect measurements on samples grown under different hydrocarbon supersaturation (32-2 and 32-5) yield electron concentrations of 8 . 5 × 1 0 16 and 2 . 4 × 1 0 16 cm −3 and mobilities of 461 and 1120 cm 2 /Vs, respectively, at a resistivity of about 0.2 Ω cm. Sample 32-5 operates near the phonon-limited mobility regime, whereas sample 32-2 is dominated by ionized impurity and associated defect scattering. The role of stacking faults and associative impurity–defect complexes in shaping the PL bands and scattering mechanisms is discussed. One-dimensional TCAD simulations, incorporating the measured parameters and effective trap densities, reveal that the reduced doping and optimized defect distribution in sample 32-5 lead to a broader depletion region and lower leakage currents, confirming the improved device potential. The results provide quantitative guidelines for optimizing HT-CVD growth of 3C-SiC/Si(100) for power electronics and quantum applications.