Correlation between local strain distribution and microstructure of grinding-induced damage layers in 4H-SiC(0001)

Summary form only given. The complete presentation was not made available for publication as part of the conference proceedings. Evaluation of surface damage layers formed by mechanical grinding processes is indispensable in epi-ready SiC wafer preparation. As well as microstructure, the analysis of local strain distribution in the damage layers gives a clue on control of the wafer quality. Advanced electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique is applied to evaluate the strain distribution of the damage layers. It is revealed that the elastic strain distribution can be classified into a hierarchy of three regions with respect to depth from the surface. Combining EBSD analysis with TEM observation, large compressive elastic strain and misorientation are introduced in the highly-defective region underneath the ground wafer surface. In addition, the gradient distribution of the strain is observed clearly below the highly-defective region. The knowledge of correlating between strain distribution and microstructure is promising to control the damage layer for the wafer preparation.