Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Tight control of defects is pivotal for semiconductor technology. However, even the basic defects are not entirely understood in silicon carbide. In the recent years significant advances have been reached in identification of defects by combining the experimental tools like electron paramagnetic resonance and photoluminescence with ab initio calculations. We summarize these results and their consequences in silicon carbide based technology. We show recent methodological developments making possible the accurate calculation of absorption and emission signals of defects.