Method for making a silicon carbide substrate

Abstract

A silicon carbide seed layer is first formed on a (111) major surface of a silicon substrate through the use of the conventional chemical vapor deposition method. The silicon carbide seed layer includes a first surface confronting the silicon substrate. The first surface shows a predetermined grain alignment oriented with the (111) major surface of the silicon substrate even though the deposition is carried out at a temperature below the melting point of the silicon substrate. Then, the silicon substrate is melted so that the first surface of the silicon carbide seed layer is exposed to the molten silicon including a carbon source therein. In this way, a second silicon carbide layer is formed on the first surface of the silicon carbide seed layer through the use of a liquid-phase epitaxial growth method. If required, a third silicon carbide layer is formed on the second silicon carbide layer to thicken the silicon carbide substrate through the use of a conventional chemical vapor deposition method, wherein the substrate is maintained at a temperature above the melting point of silicon to ensure the high-quality crystallization.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.