Nitrogen-related point defect in 4H and 6H SiC

A nitrogen-related pair defect is studied as a function of doping density in 4H and 6H SiC. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements verify that one nucleus in the pair is nitrogen, but the second part of the pair remains uncertain. The pair concentration varies monotonically with nitrogen concentration in samples with doping density 1018-1016 cm−3 and the boron concentration is an order of magnitude less than that of nitrogen. The pair center is not observed in the dark or under ultraviolet illumination when the nitrogen and boron concentrations are similar. We conclude that the pair is generated in all nitrogen-doped samples, but like the isolated nitrogen impurity, may be compensated by boron.