Abstract
SiC p-i-n diodes exhibit an increase in the voltage drop under forward bias which has been linked with the increased mobility of partial dislocations. Through first-principles calculations, we investigated the Si(g) and C(g) core 90° partials in 4H-SiC. We showed that both dislocations can sustain the asymmetric and symmetric reconstructions along the dislocation line. The latter reconstructions are always electrically active with a half-filled metallic band and are always more likely to migrate with substantially lower activation energies. Further we have suggested that under forward bias, the 90° partials are less mobile than the 30° partial dislocations. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.