Effect of crystallographic orientation on the polytype stabilization and transformation of silicon carbide

The effect of the substrate crystallographic orientation on the polytypism of SiC epitaxial layers grown by different methods in the temperature range 1600 to 2400 °C is investigated. It is established that the polytype stability is higher in the [0001] Si growth direction. External growth conditions, for example the presence of impurities, play a more important part in the polytype transformation at the growth in [0001] C direction. The crystallographic orientation effect on the polytypism is explained by the specificity of chemical bonds of silicon and carbon surface atoms.