Large diameter, low defect silicon carbide boule growth

Realization of the full potential of semiconductor SiC for electronic and optical applications is critically dependent on the production of large diameter SiC single-crystals of high crystalline quality and controlled impurity content. In this paper, recent empirical results reflecting the current state of the art of SiC bulk growth are presented. Recent progress in monocrystalline SiC bulk crystal growth is characterized by the attainment of: substrate diameters up to 100-mm; residual impurities in the 1015 cm-3 range; thermal conductivity approaching 5.0 W/cmK; near colorless 6H-SiC at crystal diameters up to 75-mm; and micropipe densities as low as 1.1 cm-2 over an entire 50-mm diameter 4H-SiC wafer and 8 cm-2 for 75-mm diameter 6H-SiC. Additionally, the recent interest in SiC for the production of a unique near colorless gemstone material, moissanite, increases the demand for high quality SiC bulk material.