Influence of neutron irradiation on etching of SiC in KOH

Abstract

The effect of reactor neutron irradiation on the etch rate of SiC in potassium hydroxide has been studied. In the case of high irradiation doses (10¹⁹–10²¹ cm^–2), the etch rate of silicon carbide has been shown to drastically rise, especially in the [0001]Si direction. This considerably mitigates the orientation anisotropy of polar face etching. After high-temperature annealing (up to 1200–1400°C), a higher etch rate of irradiated crystals persists. The results have been explained by the high concentration of radiation-induced (partially clustered) defects they contain.