Impact of source material on silicon carbide vapor transport growth process

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth Vol. 225; no. 2-4; pp. 312 - 316
• Main Authors: Wellmann, P.J., Hofmann, D., Kadinski, L., Selder, M., Straubinger, T.L., Winnacker, A.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.05.2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: A1. Heat transfer; A1. Mass transfer; A2. Growth from vapor; A2. Single crystal growth; B2. Semiconducting silicon compounds; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Growth from vapor; Materials science; Methods of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth; Physics; Theory and models of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth, crystal morphology and orientation; A1. Heat transfer; B2. Semiconducting silicon compounds; A2. Single crystal growth; 81.10.Bk; 81.10.Aj; 44.90.+c; A1. Mass transfer; 07.85.m; A2. Growth from vapor; Temperature distribution; Compression; Powders; Inorganic compounds; Semiconductor materials; Digital simulation; Macroscopic structure; Silicon carbides; Crystal growth from vapors; X-ray imaging; Mass transfer; Monocrystals; Physical vapor deposition; Physical vapor transport method; Microscopic structure; Heat transfer; Graphitization
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-0248(01)00881-8

We have studied the impact of morphological changes of the source material during physical vapor transport growth of silicon carbide (SiC). Digital X-ray imaging (P.J. Wellmann et al., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 572 (1999) 259) was carried out to visualize the ongoing processes inside the SiC source material and numerical modeling was performed in order to study the impact on the crystal growth process. According to numerical modeling there is a large impact of the SiC powder compression and morphology on the global heat transfer and mass transfer inside the growth cell. Two different SiC sources containing microscopic SiC powder and macroscopic SiC pieces, respectively, were investigated. Although the SiC source material undergoes fundamental transitions during growth (i.e. evolution from powder to compressed SiC block) it was found that self-stabilizing of the growth process occurred by formation of a disk-like structure on the top of the source material, independent of the initial source morphology. The experimental results were confirmed by the numerical simulation of the global growth process.