N-type 6H-SiC samples irradiated with electrons having energies of E e 0:2, 0:3, 0:5, and 1:7 were studied by deep level transient technique. No deep level was detected at below 0.2 MeV irradiation energy while for E e 0:3 MeV, deep levels ED1, E 1 =E 2 , and E i appeared. By considering the minimum energy required to displace the C atom or the Si atom in the SiC lattice, it is concluded that generation of the deep levels E 1 =E 2 , as well as ED1 and E i , involves the displacement of the C atom in the SiC lattice. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.125504 PACS numbers: 61.72.Ji, 61.80.Fe, 81.05.Je Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising wide band gap material for fabricating high-temperature, highpower, and high-frequency electronic devices [1]. Deep level defects induced by ion implantation or particle irradiation have been extensively studied because of their great influence on the materials' electrical and optical properties. A general classification for ion implanted or particle irradiated n-type 6H-SiC includes levels ED1 ( E C -0:27 eV), E i ( E C -0:51 eV), E 1 =E 2 ( E C -0:34=0:44 eV, with the name of Z 1 =Z 2 for 4H-SiC), and Z 1 =Z 2 ( E C -0:58=0:72 eV, with the name of E 1 =E 2 for 4H-SiC) [2 -9]. Information involving the microstructures of these deep levels is controversial and incomplete. The E 1 =E 2 doublet is not only the most dominant but also appears to be the most thermal stable in electron irradiated n-type 6H-SiC. The microstructure responsible for this level has been attributed to [6,9], and N i -C i complex [10].All previous deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) studies on electron irradiated 6H-SiC materials usually involved high energy electron irradiations (>MeV). Such investigations induce defect types originating from both C and Si atoms displacement and thus provide no basis for discriminating between primary vacancy defects originating on either sublattice. Since the C atom has a significantly smaller mass than that of Si atom (Si=C 2:33), the maximum energy transferred from the electron to the C atoms in the SiC lattice during elastic collision is larger than that of the Si atom. This implies the value of the minimum electron energy for creating the defect V C , originating from displacing a C atom, would be lower than that for creating the defect V Si . This idea has been nicely demonstrated recently by Rempel et al. [11]. Using both positron lifetime and coincident Doppler broadening techniques, it was shown that for low electron irradiation energy 0:5 MeV > E e > 0:3 MeV, only V C was generated, while at higher energy (E e > 0:5 MeV), V Si could also be detected [11]. The precise values of threshold electron irradiation energies for displacement of either the C or the Si atoms are difficult to estimate since they depend to some extent on the conduction type, the growth techniques, or the relative orientation of crystallographic planes of the sample to the incident electron direction and on sample temperature. Nevertheless, the approximate values given above can provide helpful...