Methods for determining suitability of a silicon substrate for epitaxy and/or for determining slip resistance during epitaxy and post-epitaxy thermal treatment are disclosed. The methods involve evaluating different substrates of the epitaxial wafers by imaging the wafer by infrared depolarization. An infrared depolarization parameter is generated for each epitaxial wafer. The parameters may be compared to determine which substrates are well-suited for epitaxial and/or post-epi heat treatments.

Methods for determining suitability of a silicon substrate for epitaxy and/or for determining slip resistance during epitaxy and post-epitaxy thermal treatment are disclosed. The methods involve evaluating different substrates of the epitaxial wafers by imaging the wafer by infrared depolarization. An infrared depolarization parameter is generated for each epitaxial wafer. The parameters may be compared to determine which substrates are well-suited for epitaxial and/or post-epi heat treatments.

Methods for determining suitability of Czochralski growth conditions to produce silicon substrates for epitaxy. The methods involve evaluating substrates sliced from ingots grown under different growth conditions (e.g., impurity profiles) by imaging the wafer by infrared depolarization. An infrared depolarization parameter is generated for each epitaxial wafer. The parameters may be compared to determine which growth conditions are well-suited to produce substrates for epitaxial and/or post-epi heat treatments.

Methods for determining suitability of Czochralski growth conditions to produce silicon substrates for epitaxy. The methods involve evaluating substrates sliced from ingots grown under different growth conditions (e.g., impurity profiles) by imaging the wafer by infrared depolarization. An infrared depolarization parameter is generated for each epitaxial wafer. The parameters may be compared to determine which growth conditions are well-suited to produce substrates for epitaxial and/or post-epi heat treatments.

A silicon carbide epitaxial substrate includes a silicon carbide single crystal substrate and a silicon carbide layer. In a direction parallel to a central region, a ratio of a standard deviation of a carrier concentration of the silicon carbide layer to an average value of the carrier concentration of the silicon carbide layer is less than 5%. The average value of the carrier concentration is more than or equal to 1×10.sup.14 cm.sup.−3 and less than or equal to 5×10.sup.16 cm.sup.−3. In the direction parallel to the central region, a ratio of a standard deviation of a thickness of the silicon carbide layer to an average value of the thickness of the silicon carbide layer is less than 5%. The central region has an arithmetic mean roughness (Sa) of less than or equal to 1 nm. The central region has a haze of less than or equal to 50.

A silicon carbide epitaxial substrate includes a silicon carbide single crystal substrate and a silicon carbide layer. In a direction parallel to a central region, a ratio of a standard deviation of a carrier concentration of the silicon carbide layer to an average value of the carrier concentration of the silicon carbide layer is less than 5%. The average value of the carrier concentration is more than or equal to 1×10.sup.14 cm.sup.−3 and less than or equal to 5×10.sup.16 cm.sup.−3. In the direction parallel to the central region, a ratio of a standard deviation of a thickness of the silicon carbide layer to an average value of the thickness of the silicon carbide layer is less than 5%. The central region has an arithmetic mean roughness (Sa) of less than or equal to 1 nm. The central region has a haze of less than or equal to 50.

An apparatus for fabricating diamond by carbon assembly, which comprises:

a) a hydrocarbon radical generator in operable connection with
b) a mass flow conduit extending from the hydrocarbon radical generator in a) to an interface and into a primary magnetic accelerator containing one or more electromagnets in operable connection with
c) a diamond fabrication reactor comprising a diamond forming deposition substrate.

Also disclosed is a method for fabricating diamond by shockwaves using the disclosed apparatus.

A method of fabricating a CVD synthetic diamond material, the method comprising providing a compacted diamond carrier material consisting of compacted non-intergrown diamond particles substantially free of a second phase, and growing CVD synthetic diamond material on a surface of the compacted diamond carrier material. Composite diamond bodies made by the method are also described.

A method of fabricating a CVD synthetic diamond material, the method comprising providing a compacted diamond carrier material consisting of compacted non-intergrown diamond particles substantially free of a second phase, and growing CVD synthetic diamond material on a surface of the compacted diamond carrier material. Composite diamond bodies made by the method are also described.

A stack including at least a semiconductor drift layer stacked on a single-crystal diamond substrate having a coalescence boundary, wherein the coalescence boundary of the single-crystal diamond substrate is a region that exhibits, in a Raman spectrum at a laser excitation wavelength of 785 nm, a full width at half maximum of a peak near 1332 cm.sup.−1 due to diamond that is observed to be broader than a full width at half maximum of the peak exhibited by a region different from the coalescence boundary, the coalescence boundary has a width of 200 μm or more, and the semiconductor drift layer is stacked on at least the coalescence boundary.