The status of SiC bulk growth from an industrial point of view

Abstract Silicon-carbide-based device technology as well as the volume production of nitride-based, high brightness blue and green LEDs fabricated on SiC substrates has made tremendous progress within the last several years. The commercial availability of large, high-quality SiC substrates is a key issue for the realization of the full potential of this technology. The current status of SiC bulk sublimation growth for the industrial production of 50 mm diameter 4H and 6H wafers and the quality improvement of 75 mm wafers is reviewed. Results at Cree show a continous reduction of the micropipe density in SiC substrates, demonstrating micropipe free material of a 25 mm diameter and densities as low as 1.1 cm −2 for an entire 50 mm 4H–SiC wafer. We present results of modeling the relevant heat transfer processes during crystal growth and the thermoelastic stress in the growing crystal. The effect on dislocation generation is discussed. The recent interest in SiC for the production of a unique gemstone material (moissanite) additionally increases the demand for high-quality SiC bulk material.