Micropipe-induced birefringence in 6H silicon carbide

The micropipe-induced birefringence of 6H silicon carbide (SiC) is measured and quantitatively modelled. A good agreement can be obtained between theory and experiment, provided that background residual stress is added to the local dislocation-induced stress. Observations are compatible with or predictable from the Burgers vector values, and birefringence is shown to be an interesting tool for probing the nature of the dislocations associated with e.g. micropipes; it is also faster than and complementary to the more involved techniques of transmission electron microscopy or X-ray topography.