Sense determination of micropipes via grazing-incidence synchrotron white beam x-ray topography in 4H silicon carbide

Computer modeling using the ray-tracing method has been used to simulate the grazing-incidence x-ray topographic images of micropipes in 4H silicon carbide recorded using the pyramidal (11-28) reflection. Simulation results indicate that the images of micropipes appear as white features of roughly elliptical shape, canted to one side or other of the g vector depending on the dislocation sense. Observed images compare well with the simulations, demonstrating that the direction of cant provides a simple, nondestructive, and reliable way to reveal the senses of micropipes. Sense assignment has been validated using back-reflection reticulography. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.