Ab initio Simulations of Homoepitaxial SiC Growth

An ab initio simulation study of SiC homoepitaxial growth is presented. It is shown that the nonstoichiometric reconstruction plays a relevant role in favoring the attainment of high-quality films. It is observed that the energy gain upon surface stability can induce the reorganization of the deposited material into the crystalline structure, thus revealing that a surface-driven mechanism is able to stabilize defect-free layer deposition on Si-rich surfaces.