Direct Determination of 3C/4H Silicon Carbide Heterophase Interfaces by Electron Ptychography

Silicon carbide is a technologically relevant material that can exist in various structural polymorphs, each with its own electronic properties. Through the controlled growth of abrupt interfaces between the polymorphs, systems with emergent properties arise from differences in local bonding and stacking sequences. Determining the structure of these interfaces provides important insights into predicting and ultimately controlling their properties. Here, we use multislice electron ptychography (MEP) to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze interfaces between 3C and 4H silicon carbide in three dimensions. Two distinct interfaces are investigated: a coherent interface between (11̅1)_3C and (0001)_4H, and an incoherent interface between (11̅2)_3C and (11̅00)_4H. At the coherent interface, MEP enables direct quantification of a sharp boundary with an inclined step, whereas at the incoherent interface, local atomic displacements are determined along dislocation cores. By quantifying the spatial distribution and atomic-scale structure of these interfaces in three dimensions, this study provides insight into the complexity of silicon carbide heteropolytype interfaces, paving the way for theoretical modeling and the development of design rules to achieve desired properties.