Top-Seeded Solution Growth of 4H-SiC Bulk Crystal Using Si-Cr Based Melt

Abstract

We have grown high-quality long cylindrical (12 mm thick) 4H-SiC bulk crystals by the meniscus formation technique, which was first applied for the solution growth of bulk SiC. It enabled long-term growth by suppressing parasitic reactions such as polycrystal precipitation around the seed crystal. In addition, we could control the growth angle from −22° to 61° by adjusting the meniscus height. The thickness of the grown cylindrical crystals was 12 mm, which is the largest reported until now, and corresponded to a growth rate of 0.6 mm/h. Smooth morphology growth was maintained on the (000-1) C-face. In cross-sectional transmission optical microscopy images, few solvent inclusions and voids were observed. XRD measurements revealed that the FWHM values of the grown crystals were almost the same as those of the seed crystal.

Real-time observation of the interface between SiC and a liquid alloy and its application to the dissolution behavior of SiC at 1573 K

“…% of SiC, respectively (see arrows in Figs. [7][8][9]. The origin of the pits was either TSD or TED in the SiC wafer, and the shape of the pits originated from TSDs was considered to be spiral with a semi-vertical angle, b.…”

“…However, earlier works dealing with liquid phase epitaxy of SiC using Si-based solvents, such as Si-Ge 1 or Si-Al 2 solvents, reported growth rates of less than 10 lm/h; and thus the solution growth kinetics of SiC was regarded to be slower than that of PVT. Recently, growth rates of over 100 lm/h have been reported using Si-Ti, [3][4][5] Si-Cr, 6,7 and Fe-Si 8,9 alloy solvents. Thus, solution growth is currently regarded as a viable method to produce SiC bulk single crystals.…”

Effect of aluminum addition on the surface step morphology of 4H–SiC grown from Si–Cr–C solution

“…During crystal growth, severe step bunching often forms macrosteps with height (H) of several hundred nanometers, and the macrosteps frequently develop into giant macrosteps with heights of several to tens of micrometers. These giant macrosteps transform to trench-like surface defects with solvent inclusion [6,10,11]. In our previous study [10], we found that the addition of Al to the SiCr solvent significantly improved the surface roughening.…”

“…Recently, the study of solution growth has rapidly developed, and it has attracted interest as a growth method for high-quality SiC crystals [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Several studies have reported significant reduction of threading dislocations during crystal growth [2][3][4][5].…”

Bulk and epitaxial growth of silicon carbide

“…Metallic contamination from the solvent could be a problem, and this subject is now being investigated. By controlling the meniscus near the growing surface, remarkable diameter enlargement has been achieved without degradation of quality [93]. A tradeoff between high growth rate and growth stability is currently being investigated.…”