Influence of surface bow on reconstruction on 2-inch SiC (0001) wafer

The step morphologies of a gas-etched 2-in. 6H-SiC (0001) wafer are investigated by the atomic force microscope. Due to the concave surface induced by bow, undulation surface morphologies were observed in the edge region. In the upside and downside region of the center along the 〈112¯0〉 miscut direction, ripples and bimodal steps are observed, respectively. In the other edge regions, a complex pattern of waves enveloped in microsteps was formed. The complex reorganized surface morphology is discussed by the viewpoint of the two or three-dimensional phase separation. Compared to the regular unit cell high steps, the formalism of waved surface is interpreted by competing free energy curve through changes in surface structure faceting, where the step separated at a specific orientation and favor to match to surface reconstruction with unit cell high steps.

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