Effect of 2 MeV Electron Irradiation on the Electronic Structure and Photoluminescence of SiC

Silicon carbide (SiC) with the advantages of high thermal conductivity and high breakdown field strength can meet the new requirements of modern electronic technology for harsh conditions. Focusing on the application of deep space exploration, the present work has explored the effects of 2-MeV electron irradiation on 4H-SiC with a fluence of 7 × 10¹² cm^–2 and 1 × 10¹³ cm^–2. The samples irradiated with 2-MeV electrons and 1 × 10¹³ cm⁻² fluence have a smaller full width at half-maximum (FWHM) in both x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra, weaker defect luminescence intensity in photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and increased Si-C bond ratio in x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These demonstrated that the electron irradiation at 2 MeV with the fluence of 1 × 10¹³ cm^–2 has caused the crystallization performance to recover in comparison with the original sample. The improved crystal quality can be ascribed to the thermal effects produced during the electron irradiation.