Polarization of Photoluminescence from Partial Dislocations in 4H-SiC

Polarization characteristics of luminescence from partial dislocations (PDs) in 4H-SiC have been investigated by room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) imaging. The PLs from mobile PDs under optical excitation, which are 30°-Si(g) PDs, and PDs tilted by 6° from their Burgers vector (6°-PDs) were found to be polarized perpendicular to their dislocation lines. In contrast, the PL from immobile 30°-C(g) PDs was not polarized. The present results suggest that the carriers bound to the 30°-Si(g) and 6°-PDs have anisotropic wave functions and those bound to 30°-C(g) PDs have isotropic wave functions.