US 12,674,249 B2Granted

Method for producing sic single crystal

AssigneeShin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

InventorsNaofumi Shinya, Norio Yamagata, Yu Hamaguchi, Takehisa Minowa

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Abstract

In SiC single crystal production by the solution process, an alloy of silicon (Si) and a metallic element M that increases the solubility of carbon (C) is pre-impregnated into a SiC sintered body having a relative density of 50 to 90%, following which Si and M are placed in a SiC crucible made of the SiC sintered body and the Si and M within the SiC crucible are melted, forming a Si—C solution. With heating, SiC from the SiC sintered body dissolves into the Si—C solution, efficiently supplying Si and C to the Si—C solution. As a result, Si and C are supplied uniformly and in the proper amount from all areas of contact between the SiC crucible and the Si—C solution, enabling a high-quality SiC single crystal to be stably produced over a long time at a rapid growth rate.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method for producing a SiC single crystal, comprising the following order of:

providing a SiC crucible formed of a SiC sintered body having a relative density of from 50 to 90% and pores, wherein an alloy has been impregnated into the pores of the SiC sintered body in advance, the alloy including first silicon and a first metallic element M that increases a solubility of carbon,
placing second silicon and a second metallic element M in the SiC crucible,
heating the SiC crucible to melt the second silicon and the second metallic element M, into which the first silicon and carbon originating from SiC in the SiC crucible are supplied, thereby forming a Si—C solution, and
contacting a SiC seed crystal with a top portion of the Si—C solution so as to grow the SiC single crystal on the SiC seed crystal,
wherein the first metallic element M comprises one or both of at least one type of a metallic element M1 selected from the group consisting of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Lu, and wherein the second metallic element M comprises at least one type of another metallic element M2 selected from the group consisting of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni and Cu.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.