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-iduced 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. ?? 1996 American Institute of Physics.
