The kinetic growth model applied to micropipes in 6H-SiC

In this study we investigated the as-grown {0001} Si surface of modified Lely-grown 6H-SiC using atomic force microscopy. We found micropipes that lie in the center of growth spirals whose radii ranged between 25 and 6000 nm. The screw component of the Burgers vector of the micropipe, which is synonymous with the total step height of the growth spiral, ranged from 1 to 25 unit-cells (1.5-37.5 nm). We fitted Frank's theory of hollow core dislocations, as modified by Cabrera and Levine concerning kinetic effects, to these experimental results and obtained values for surface energy and supersaturation at the inner side of the micropipe. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.