Structural and Optical Characteristics of 4H-SiC UV Detectors Irradiated with Argon Ions

The results of a study into the effect of irradiation with heavy Ar ions on the structural and optical characteristics of 4H-SiC are presented. It is shown that even upon single-time irradiation with 53-MeV Ar ions at a fluence of 1 × 1010 cm–2 there are at least two powerful local regions with negative deformation dominant in the structure of silicon carbide. Also, a region with positive deformation is observed in the structure. The formation of localized clusters with negative and positive deformations along with the undisturbed matrix gives rise to linear-type defects that partially relieve stresses in the structure. It is assumed that, upon irradiation with Ar ions, the resulting complex defect structure provides the effect of point-defect gettering and leads to a quantum efficiency of 4H-SiC UV photodetectors that is comparable with that of the initial samples.