Edward Semenas

SUBLIMATION GROWTH OF SIC SINGLE CRYSTALS

The technological potential of silicon carbide (SiC) single crystals for highpower, high-temperature, and high-frequency electronic devices has been recognized for several decades; however, such applications have been greatly hindered by problems related to bulk crystal growth. SiC bulk crystal growth technology has recently achieved drastic improvement and enabled the growth of large high-quality single crystals. This chapter overviews the recent achievements in SiC bulk crystal growth aimed at producing high-quality largediameter crystals, highlighting the improvement of the crystal diameter enlargement process and the reduction of crystallographic defects in SiC crystals.

Advanced PVT Growth of 2 & 3-Inch Diameter 6H SiC Crystals

Abstract. The Wide Bandgap Materials Group of II-VI Inc., develops, manufactures and markets n+ and semi-insulating (SI) 6H SiC crystals, including vanadium-compensated and V-free. The PVT growth process is tuned to produce high-quality semi-insulating 6H SiC boules with micropipe densities below 15 cm (for 2-inch wafers) and below 70 cm (for 3-inch wafers). Room temperature resistivity for 2-inch and 3-inch SI V-doped wafers is greater than 10 Ω·cm and 10 Ω·cm, respectively. A novel synthesis process is used for the production of high-purity polycrystalline SiC source, yielding a material in which most impurities are below their GDMS detection limits. An advanced PVT process (APVT) has been developed for the growth of V-free SI 6H SiC crystals. These APVT SiC crystals contain boron below 6.2·10cm, nitrogen below 4.0·10cm and demonstrate semi-insulating behavior with ρ between 10 and 10 Ω·cm. Photoluminescence and EPR of V-free 6H SiC has been studied and EPR data have been assigned to native point defects (C vacancy, Si antisite and CVAC-CSi pair).

Growth and Characterization of Large Diameter 6H and 4H SiC Single Crystals

Over the past year, II-VI has transitioned from 2” to 3” commercial SiC substrates. Large-diameter semi-insulating 6H-SiC and n-type 4H-SiC single crystals are grown using the Advanced PVT growth process. Expansion of boule diameter from 2 to 3 and up to 4.25 inches has been carried out using a specially designed growth technique. Stable semi-insulating properties in 6H-SiC are achieved by precise vanadium compensation. The technique of compensation is optimized to produce a controlled and spatially uniform distribution of vanadium and high and spatially uniform electrical resistivity reaching 10 10 – 1011 ·cm. N-type 3-inch 4H-SiC crystals are grown using doping with nitrogen, and 3-inch 4H-SiC substrates show uniform resistivity of about 0.018 ·cm. The best quality semiinsulating (SI) 3” 6H-SiC substrates demonstrate micropipe density of 3 cm-2, and n-type 3” 4H-SiC substrates - about 1 cm-2. X-ray rocking curve topography of the produced 3” SiC substrates is used for evaluation of their crystal quality.