Method for reducing micropipe formation in the epitaxial growth of silicon carbide and resulting silicon carbide structures

A method of producing epitaxial layers of silicon carbide that are substantially free of micropipe defects, the method comprising:

• growing an epitaxial layer of silicon carbide on a silicon carbide substrate by liquid phase epitaxy from a melt of silicon carbide in silicon and another element that enhances the solubility of silicon carbide in the melt, and in which the atomic percentage of that element predominates over the atomic percentage of silicon;
• and
• closing micropipe defects propagated by the substrate into the epitaxial layer by continuing to grow the epitaxial layer until the epitaxial layer has a thickness at which micropipe defects present in the substrate are substantially no longer reproduced in the epitaxial layer, and the number of micropipe defects in the epitaxial layer is substantially reduced.

A silicon carbide structure of high quality, particularly for use in power electronic devices, said structure comprising:

• a single crystal bulk silicon carbide substrate having a micropipe density of between about 50 and 400 cm.sup.-2 on its surface;
• and
• an epitaxial layer of silicon carbide on said surface of said silicon carbide substrate, said epitaxial layer having a micropipe density of between about 0 and 50 cm.sup.-2 on its surface.