Dominant recombination center in electron-irradiated 3C SiC

Abstract
Deep level defects and their role in carrier recombination processes in electron‐irradiated 3C SiC have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR). An isotropic ODMR spectrum, with a g value of 2.0061±0.0002 and an effective electron spin S=1/2, is observed in irradiated 3C SiC films. From the spectral dependence studies of the ODMR signal, the defect is shown to be a deep level center related to a radiation‐induced PL band with a zero‐phonon line at 1.121 eV. Due to the competition between different carrier recombination channels, this ODMR spectrum can also be observed as a decrease of any other PL emissions from the sample, indicating its dominant role in recombination processes.