Atomistic simulations of epitaxial recrystallization in 4H-SiC along the [0001] direction

Molecular dynamics methods have been employed to study epitaxial recrystallization and the amorphous-to-crystalline (a–c) transition in 4H-SiC along the [0001] direction, with simulation times of up to a few hundred nanoseconds and at temperatures of 1500 and 2000 K. The results are compared with those simulated previously along the [-12-10] and [-1010] directions to investigate the anisotropies of recrystallization processes. The recovery of bond defects at the interfaces is an important process driving the initial epitaxial recrystallization of the amorphous layers. The amorphous layers with the a–c interface normal along the [0001] direction can be completely recrystallized at 2000 K, but the recrystallized region contains dislocation loops. The temperature required for complete recrystallization is in good agreement with those observed experimentally.