SiC single crystal sublimation growth apparatus

Abstract

A physical vapor transport growth system includes a growth chamber charged with SiC source material and a SiC seed crystal in spaced relation and an envelope that is at least partially gas-permeable disposed in the growth chamber. The envelope separates the growth chamber into a source compartment that includes the SiC source material and a crystallization compartment that includes the SiC seed crystal. The envelope is formed of a material that is reactive to vapor generated during sublimation growth of a SiC single crystal on the SiC seed crystal in the crystallization compartment to produce C-bearing vapor that acts as an additional source of C during the growth of the SiC single crystal on the SiC seed crystal.

Claims

1. A physical vapor transport growth system comprising: a growth chamber charged with SiC source material and a SiC seed crystal in spaced relation; and an envelope that is at least partially gas-permeable disposed in the growth chamber and separating the growth chamber into a source compartment that includes the SiC source material and a crystallization compartment that includes the SiC seed crystal, said gas-permeable envelope formed of a material that is reactive to vapor generated by sublimation growth of a SiC single crystal on the SiC seed crystal in the crystallization compartment, wherein said gas-permeable envelope is positioned in the growth chamber such that the vapor generated by sublimation growth reacts with the material forming the envelope to produce a carbon-bearing vapor that acts as an additional source of carbon during the growth of the SiC single crystal on the SiC seed crystal; wherein the envelope is comprised of: a sleeve that surrounds sides of the SiC seed crystal and the growing SiC single crystal; and a gas-permeable membrane disposed between the SiC source material and a surface of the SiC seed crystal that faces the SiC source material; wherein the gas-permeable membrane is made of porous graphite; and wherein the graphite forming the gas-permeable membrane is comprised of graphite grains, each of which has a maximum dimension between 100 and 500 microns.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is disposed between 0.5 mm and 5 mm from the sides of the SiC seed crystal and the growing SiC single crystal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the gas-permeable membrane has a thickness between 3 mm and 12 mm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a wall thickness between 4 mm and 15 mm.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is cylindrical and the membrane is disposed at one end of the sleeve.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sleeve is disposed between 0.5 mm and 5 mm from the sides of the SiC seed crystal and the growing SiC single crystal.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the gas-permeable membrane has a thickness between 3 mm and 12 mm.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the sleeve has a wall thickness between 4 mm and 15 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIGS. 1-5 are cross-sectional schematic views of different embodiment prior art physical vapor transport (PVT) growth cells;

(2) FIGS. 6-8 are cross-sectional schematic views of different embodiment PVT growth cells in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 9a is a photograph of an as-grown, vanadium-compensated 6H SiC single crystal boule that was grown in a PVT growth cell like the one shown in FIG. 7;

(4) FIG. 9b is the axial resistivity distribution in the crystal boule shown in FIG. 9a determined from standard wafers fabricated from the boule;

(5) FIG. 9c is a resistivity map for one of the wafers fabricated from the boule shown in FIG. 9a; and

(6) FIG. 10 is a micropipe density map obtained from a wafer fabricated from a vanadium-compensated 6H SiC single crystal boule that was grown in a PVT growth cell like the one shown in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) The invention describes an improved SiC sublimation crystal growth process and apparatus for the growth of high quality SiC single crystals suitable for the fabrication of industrial size substrates, including those of 3″ and 100 mm diameter. The crystal growth crucible of the invention is divided into two compartments by a gas-permeable porous graphite membrane, which is positioned in close proximity to the seed. During growth, the membrane interacts with the Si-rich vapor and supplies additional carbon to the growing crystal. The membrane enriches the vapor phase with carbon and makes the vapor composition in front of the growing crystal more uniform. It also prevents particles originated from the source from contaminating the growth interface. It also makes the isotherms more flat.

(8) The invention leads to SiC boules with reduced densities of inclusions, such as foreign polytypes, silicon droplets and carbon particles, and it reduces stress and cracking. The growth cell design of the invention permits incorporation of in-situ synthesis of SiC into the SiC sublimation growth process.

(9) The process and apparatus can be used for the growth of SiC single crystals of 6H and 4H polytypes, both undoped and doped, including those doped with vanadium.

(10) With reference to FIG. 6, PVT growth in accordance with the present invention is carried out in a graphite crucible 60 that includes SiC source 61 at the bottom of crucible 60 and a SiC single crystal seed 63 at the top of crucible 60. During growth of a SiC single crystal 64 on SiC single crystal seed 63, crucible 60 is disposed inside of a growth chamber 60a where crucible 60 is heated, either resistively or by an inductive heating means 59, to a suitable temperature for the growth of a SiC single crystal 64 on SiC single crystal seed 63.

(11) An envelope 66, that is at least in-part porous and gas-permeable, at least partially surrounds SiC seed crystal 63 and SiC single crystal 64. SiC seed crystal 63 can be attached directly to a lid of crucible 60 or, as shown in FIG. 6, to a suitable standoff disposed between the lid of crucible 60 and SiC seed crystal 63. Envelope 66 forms a quasi-closed vapor circulation space 67 around the surfaces, sides, edges, and faces of SiC single crystal seed 63 and growing SiC single crystal 64 that face SiC source 61. Envelope 66 is made of porous, gas-permeable graphite and is positioned a short distance from growing SiC single crystal 64.

(12) Upon reaching the desired growth temperature, SiC source 61 sublimes and fills the interior of crucible 60 with Si-rich vapor 62. During evaporation, carbon residue 61a is formed in SiC source 61. Vapor 62 in the space 68 adjacent to SiC source 61 is in equilibrium with the SiC+C mixture.

(13) Driven by a temperature gradient in the interior of crucible 60, vapor 62 migrates axially toward SiC single crystal seed 63 and enters space 67 by diffusing through the front wall (membrane) 69 of envelope 66. In the process of diffusion, small-size particles emanating from SiC source 61 are filtered from the vapor 62 by envelope 66. Thus, porous envelope 66 helps to avoid contamination of the growth interface with particulates.

(14) After passing through membrane 69, vapor 62 reaches the growth interface and condenses on it causing growth of SiC single crystal 64. As a result of precipitation of stoichiometric SiC from the Si-rich vapor 62, vapor 62 becomes even more enriched with Si and forms vapor 65. This Si-rich vapor 65 diffuses in space 67 in the direction from the growth interface toward the inner surface of envelope 66. The distance between growing SiC single crystal 64 and the interior wall of membrane 69 is selected so that diffusing Si-bearing molecules in vapor 65 reach the interior wall of envelope 66 in spite of the Stefan gas flow in the opposite direction.

(15) Upon contact with the interior wall of envelope 66, the excess Si in vapor 65 (which is not in equilibrium with carbon) attacks and erodes it generating volatile molecular associates Si.sub.2C and SiC.sub.2, whereupon the initially Si-rich vapor 65 will now include these C-bearing species.

(16) The temperature of envelope 66 is controlled to be higher than that of SiC single crystal 63. This forces vapor 65 now including these C-bearing species to diffuse toward SiC single crystal 63 and participate in SiC crystallization, thereby forming SiC single crystal 64. As can be seen, Si acts as a transport agent for carbon and envelope 66 serves as a sacrificial carbon body supplying additional carbon to the growing SiC single crystal 64.

(17) Porous, gas-permeable envelope 66 has a wall thickness and is positioned a relatively small distance from SiC seed crystal 63. The thickness of the front wall 69 of envelope 66 is chosen by taking into account the following factors: A polycrystalline SiC deposit can form on the front wall 69 of envelope 66. Therefore, envelope 66 is desirably mechanically strong enough to support the weight of this deposit. Envelope 66 should be sufficiently thick to make the vapor migration across the membrane the limiting stage of mass transport in the crucible. If the envelope 66 is too thin, solid SiC will form on the top surface of front wall 69 of envelope 66 and lead to deterioration in the quality of growing SiC single crystal 64. A too thick envelope 66 will impede vapor transport in the crucible and reduce the growth rate of SiC single crystal 64.

(18) The distance between the seed and the membrane is chosen on the basis of the following: If envelope 66 is positioned too far from SiC single crystal 63, the Si-rich vapor generated as a result of crystallization will not reach envelope 66. If envelope 66 is positioned too close to SiC single crystal 63, the crystal thickness will be limited.

(19) Exemplary dimensions of porous, gas-permeable envelope 66 are described in the embodiments described hereinafter. The geometry of the PVT growth cell shown in FIG. 6 has several advantages in the growth of SiC single crystal 64: The presence of the sacrificial carbon envelope in close proximity to the growing SiC single crystal 64 increases the carbon content in the vapor phase in the space adjacent to the growth interface. A more carbon-rich vapor phase leads to better stability of the hexagonal polytypes (6H and 4H) and suppression of non-hexagonal polytypes, such as 15R. Envelope 66 reduces or eliminates spatial nonuniformity of the vapor phase composition in front of the growth interface, thus reducing or eliminating the compositional nonuniformity of the growing SiC single crystal 64. This leads to a reduced stress and cracking in SiC single crystal 64. The more spatially uniform vapor phase makes incorporation of impurities and dopants into the growing SiC single crystal 64 more spatially uniform. The higher carbon content in vapor 65 surrounding the growing SiC single crystal 64 avoids or eliminates the formation of liquid silicon on the growth interface and inclusion of Si droplets. Envelope 66 prevents particles generated in SiC source 61 from reaching and incorporating into the growing SiC single crystal 64. The graphite forming envelope 66 positively affects the geometry of the thermal field in the vicinity of the growing SiC single crystal 64. Specifically, the flat front wall 69 of envelope (membrane) 66 makes the isotherms adjacent the growth interface more flat. Flatter isotherms, in-turn, make the growth interface more flat, which is beneficial to the polytype stability and stress reduction.

Embodiment 1: Growth of Semi-Insulating SiC Crystals

(20) A schematic diagram of a PVT growth cell for the growth of semi-insulating SiC crystals fully compensated by dopant, such as vanadium, is shown in FIG. 7. SiC crystal growth is carried out in a cylindrical crucible 70 made of graphite, desirably, dense, low-porosity isostatically molded graphite, such as ATJ or similar. Crucible 70 contains a solid SiC source 71 disposed at the bottom of crucible 70 and a SiC seed crystal 72 at the crucible top of crucible 70, for instance, attached to the crucible lid 74, as shown in the FIG. 7. SiC source 71 is desirably in the form of pure polycrystalline SiC grain synthesized separately.

(21) In accordance with the doping procedure disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0243984, which is incorporated herein by reference, crucible 70 includes a time-release capsule 80 charged with a dopant 82. Capsule 80 includes a stable form of dopant 82, desirably, elemental vanadium, vanadium carbide or vanadium oxide. Capsule 80 is desirably made of an inert material, desirably, dense, low-porosity graphite, such as ATJ, and it includes one or more capillaries 81 of predetermined diameter and length. A more detailed description of the doping capsule is given in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0243984. Capsule 80 loaded or charged with vanadium is buried in the bulk of SiC source 71, as shown in FIG. 7.

(22) SiC seed crystal 72 is a wafer of 4H or 6H SiC polytype sliced from a previously grown SiC crystal. The growth face of SiC seed crystal 72 is polished to remove scratches and sub-surface damage. The preferred orientation of SiC seed crystal 72 is “on-axis”, that is, parallel to the crystallographic c-plane. However, other orientations of SiC seed crystal 72 can also be used, such as, without limitation, off-cut from the c-plane by several degrees. In the case of 6H, the Si-face of SiC seed crystal 72 is the growth face. In the case of 4H, the C-face of SiC seed crystal 72 is the growth face.

(23) SiC seed crystal 72 (and later the growing SiC single crystal 73) is surrounded by a porous, gas-permeable envelope comprised of a horizontal membrane 75 and a cylindrical sleeve 76. SiC seed crystal 72, crucible lid 74, membrane 75 and sleeve 76 define the boundaries of a vapor circulation space 79.

(24) Membrane 75 and sleeve 76 are made of porous graphite with a density, desirably, between 0.6 and 1.4 g/cm.sup.3 and a porosity, desirably, between 30% and 70%. In order to avoid contamination of growing SiC single crystal 73 with micron-size graphitic particles generated as a result of graphite erosion of membrane 75 and sleeve 76, the material forming membrane 75 and sleeve 76 is porous graphite with large grain sizes, desirably, from 100 to 500 microns. When grains of this size are liberated by graphite erosion, they are too heavy to be transported by the Stefan gas flow.

(25) Membrane 75 has a thickness, desirably, between 3 and 12 mm and is disposed at a distance from the SiC seed crystal 72, desirably, between 15 and 35 mm. In the example shown in FIG. 7, sleeve 76 is cylindrical, but it can also have other useful shapes deemed desirable by those skilled in the art, such as, without limitation, a truncated cone or a hexagonal pyramid. The wall thickness of sleeve 76 is, desirably, between 4 and 15 mm and the distance between the interior surface of sleeve 76 and the edge of SiC seed crystal 72 is, desirably, between 0.5 and 5 mm.

(26) Loaded crucible 70 is placed inside a gas-tight chamber 78, which is evacuated and filled with an inert gas, such as argon or helium, to a pressure between 1 to 100 Torr. Crucible 70 is then heated to a temperature between 2000 and 2400° C. using inductive or resistive heating means 83. During growth, the temperature of SiC source 71 is controlled to be higher than the temperature of membrane 75, typically, by 10° C. to 150° C. At the same time, the temperature of membrane 75 is controlled to be 20° C. to 50° C. higher that the temperature of SiC seed crystal 72.

(27) Upon reaching SiC sublimation temperatures, SiC source 71 vaporizes and fills the interior of crucible 70 with Si-rich vapor 84 comprised of Si, Si.sub.2C and SiC.sub.2 volatile molecules. During initial stages of the growth of SiC single crystal 73 on SiC seed crystal 72, vapor 84 migrates to and precipitates on porous membrane 75 forming a polycrystalline SiC deposit 77. Then, the SiC deposit 77 sublimes and vapor 85 emanating from SiC deposit 77 diffuses across membrane 75 and reaches SiC seed crystal 72. The thickness of membrane 75 is selected such that the migration of vapor 85 across membrane 75 is the limiting stage in the overall mass transport.

(28) After passing through membrane 75, vapor 85 reaches the growth interface and condenses causing the growth of SiC single crystal 73 on SiC seed crystal 72. As a result of SiC crystallization, silicon enrichment of vapor 85 adjacent the growth interface takes place and forms vapor 85a. Vapor 85a including excessive silicon diffuses in space 79 toward the membrane 75 and sleeve 76 and attacks them forming Si.sub.2C and SiC.sub.2 volatile molecules. Driven by temperature gradients, vapor 85a including these Si.sub.2C and SiC.sub.2 molecules is transported to the growth interface.

(29) During growth, capsule 80 releases vanadium-containing vapor into the interior of crucible 70 through the one or more capillaries 81. The dimensions of each of the one or more capillaries 81 are selected to cause the vanadium concentration in the grown SiC single crystal 73 to be sufficient for complete compensation without generation of crystal defects. The presence of porous graphite membrane 75 does not prevent the transport of vanadium to the growth interface. At the same time, membrane 75 improves the spatial uniformity of vanadium doping, thus making the resistivity of the grown SiC single crystal 73 spatially uniform.

(30) Growth of semi-insulating SiC single crystal 73 requires strict adherence to the purity of SiC source 71 and materials of growth crucible 70. Halogen purification of growth crucible 70 and other graphite parts used in the growth of SiC single crystal 73 is commonplace. However, porous membrane 75 and sleeve 76 are sacrificial carbon bodies supplying carbon to the growing crystal. Therefore, their purity, especially with respect to boron, is critical. Accordingly, the boron content in membrane 75 and sleeve 76 is, desirably, controlled to be below 50 ppb by weight and the contents of other metals in membrane 75 and sleeve 76 are desirably below their GDMS detection limits.

(31) Another desired treatment of membrane 75 and sleeve 76 prior to PVT growth is the removal of small graphite particles from their surfaces and bulk. Such particles are generated during machining and handling of these parts. The preferred treatment includes ultrasonic cleaning in deionized water for 15 minutes followed by drying in a circulation oven.

Embodiment 2: PVT Growth of SiC Crystal Combined with In-Situ Synthesis of SiC Source

(32) FIG. 8 is an illustration of a growth cell similar to the growth cell shown and described in connection with FIG. 7, except that the growth cell of FIG. 8 includes an interior graphite crucible 90 loaded with a mixture of Si and C raw materials 91 for in-situ synthesis of SiC from elemental Si and C. The elemental Si and C raw materials 91 desirably have atomic ratio of 1:1 and can be in the form of finely divided powders or, desirably, in the form of small lumps or pellets of 0.5 to 3 mm in size.

(33) The initial heating of crucible 70 is carried out in vacuum, that is, under continuous evacuation of the growth chamber. A diffusion or turbomolecular pump of a suitable capacity can be used for such pumping. During heating, the pressure in chamber 78 and, hence, crucible 70 is, desirably, not higher than 5.10.sup.6 Torr.

(34) Heating of crucible 70 continues until the temperature of crucible 70 reaches about 1600° C., which is above the melting point of pure Si (1460° C.). Crucible 70 is soaked at this temperature for 1 hour to complete the reaction between elemental Si and C.

(35) The enthalpy of direct reaction between Si and C is high, about 100 kJ/mol. Therefore, synthesis of SiC from elemental Si and C can lead to a rise in the temperature of the SiC charge. Here, in this embodiment, membrane 75 plays another role: it acts as a heat shield that avoids SiC seed crystal 72 from overheating and carbonization, which otherwise could be caused by the release of the heat of reaction between Si and C. Membrane 75 also prevents contamination of the surface of SiC Seed 72 by particles generated during the reaction between Si and C.

(36) After the reaction between elemental Si and C is completed and solid SiC is formed in crucible 90, chamber 78 and, hence, crucible 70 is filled with inert gas, such as argon or helium, to a pressure of about 500 Torr and the temperature of crucible 70 is raised to a desired growth temperature between 2000° and 2400° C. Following this, PVT growth of SiC single crystal 73 on SiC seed crystal 72 is carried out as described in the previous embodiment.

(37) For the growth of vanadium-compensated semi-insulating SiC crystals, a doping capsule, similar to doping capsule 80 in the embodiment of FIG. 7, is used. Such doping capsule is buried in the bulk of the elemental Si and C mixture 91. It has been observed that the reaction between elemental Si and C does not affect the vanadium source inside the capsule.

(38) It has been observed that the use of the above-described gas-permeable porous envelope comprised of porous membrane 75 and porous sleeve 76 in the sublimation growth of 6H and 4H SiC single crystals yields SiC boules with reduced densities of inclusions, such as foreign polytypes, silicon droplets and carbon particles. It has also been observed to reduce the degree of growth-related stress, which is the cause for subsequent boule/wafer cracking.

(39) The above-described gas-permeable porous envelope comprised of porous membrane 75 and porous sleeve 76 also permits incorporation of in-situ synthesis of the SiC source into the sublimation growth process. This leads to a reduction of the process cycle time.

(40) Two examples of 6H SiC growth runs will now be described.

Example 1. Growth of Semi-Insulating 6H SiC Crystal

(41) This growth run was carried out in accordance with the embodiment 1 growth of semi-insulating SiC crystals described above. Specifically, a crystal growth crucible 70 made of dense, isostatically molded graphite (grade ATJ) was prepared. Pure SiC grain 0.5 to 2 mm in size was synthesized prior to growth using a separate synthesis process. A charge of about 600 g of the pure SiC grain was disposed at the bottom of crucible 70 and served as SiC source 71 for the growth run.

(42) A doping capsule 80 made of dense ATJ graphite was prepared having a single capillary of 1 mm in diameter and 2 mm long. This capsule 80 was loaded with 1 gram of metallic vanadium of 99.995% purity. The loaded capsule 80 was buried in the source 71 on the bottom of crucible 70, as shown in FIG. 7.

(43) A 3.25″ diameter SiC wafer of the 6H polytype was prepared and used as SiC seed crystal 72. The wafer was oriented on-axis, that is, with its faces parallel to the basal c-plane. The growth surface of the wafer (Si face) was polished using a chemical-mechanical polishing technique (CMP) to remove scratches and sub-surface damage. SiC seed crystal 72 was attached to crucible lid 74 using a high-temperature carbon adhesive.

(44) Gas-permeable membrane 75, in the form of a disc, and cylindrical sleeve 76 were prepared. Membrane 75 and sleeve 76 were machined of porous graphite with the density of 1 g/cm.sup.3, porosity of 47% and average grain size of 200 microns. The thickness of membrane 75 was 4 mm, while the wall thickness of sleeve 76 was 10 mm. Prior to use in growth, membrane 75 and sleeve 76 were purified in halogen-containing atmosphere to remove boron and other impurities and to reduce the level of residual boron to below 50 ppb by weight.

(45) Porous membrane 75 and sleeve 76 were positioned in crucible 70, as shown in FIG. 7. Membrane 75 was located a distance of 25 mm below the downward facing face of SiC seed crystal 72. The distance between sleeve 76 and the periphery (or edge or sides) of SiC seed crystal 72 was 3 mm.

(46) Crucible 70 was loaded into a water-cooled chamber 78, made of fused silica, of an RF furnace where crucible 70 served as an RF susceptor. Thermal insulation made of fibrous light-weight graphite foam was placed in the space between crucible 70 and chamber 78. The interior of chamber 78 and, hence, the interior of crucible 70 were evacuated to a pressure of 1.Math.10.sup.−6 Torr and flushed several times with 99.9995% pure helium to remove any absorbed gases and moisture. Then, the interior of chamber 78 and, hence, the interior of crucible 70 was backfilled with He to 500 Torr and the temperature of crucible 70 was raised to about 2100° C. over a period of eight hours. Following this, the position of RF coil 83 and the furnace power were adjusted to achieve a temperature of SiC source material 71 of 2120° C. and a temperature of SiC crystal seed 72 of 2090° C. The He pressure was then reduced to 10 Torr to start sublimation growth. Upon completion of the run, the interior of chamber 78 and the interior of crucible 70 were cooled to room temperature over a period of 12 hours.

(47) FIG. 9a shows a photograph of the as-grown, vanadium-compensated 6H SiC single crystal boule. The boule weighed 250 grams and included 30 grams of carbon transported from the porous membrane and sleeve. Neither carbon particles, nor Si droplets, nor inclusions of the 15R polytype were found in this high quality crystal boule. The micropipe density in this crystal boule was below 25 cm.sup.−2.

(48) The boule was fabricated into standard 3″ diameter wafers, and their resistivity was measured and mapped using a contactless resistivity tool. The axial resistivity distribution in this crystal boule and a resistivity map for one of the sliced wafers are shown in FIGS. 9b and 9c, respectively. The resistivity of the grown crystal boule was above 5.Math.10.sup.10 Ohm-cm, with a majority of the sliced wafers having a resistivity above 1.Math.10.sup.11 Ohm-cm, and a standard deviation below 10%.

Example 2. Growth of Semi-Insulating 6H SiC Crystal

(49) With reference to FIG. 8, growth of a vanadium-compensated 6H SiC single crystal was carried out in accordance the embodiment 2 growth of semi-insulating SiC crystals described above. The growth crucible used for this growth was similar to that used in Example 1 above. A thin-walled interior graphite crucible (90 in FIG. 8) was machined from dense ATJ graphite. The interior of crucible 90 was loaded with 600 g of a raw material mixture of elemental Si and C in a 1:1 atomic ratio. The Si and C forming this mixture was in the form of small lumps or pellets, 0.5 mm to 1 mm in dimension.

(50) A doping capsule 80 containing 1 gram of vanadium was placed at the bottom of crucible 90, under the Si+C mixture. The geometry of this capsule 80 was similar to that described in the previous example.

(51) Gas-permeable membrane 75 and sleeve 76 having the same dimensions as in Example 1 were machined from porous graphite of the same grade as in Example 1. Membrane 75 and sleeve 76 were halogen-purified to reduce the level of boron to below 50 ppb by weight. Porous membrane 75 and sleeve 76 were positioned in crucible 70, as shown in FIG. 8.

(52) The crucible 70 including the doping capsule 80, the raw material Si+C mixture 91, SiC crystal seed 72, porous membrane 75, and sleeve 76 surrounding SiC crystal seed 72 was placed into crystal growth chamber 78. Chamber 78 was then evacuated, flushed with pure helium, as described in the previous example, and then again evacuated to a pressure of 1.Math.10.sup.−6 Torr.

(53) Crucible 70 was then heated to 1600° C. under continuous evacuation of chamber 78 and crucible 70 using a turbomolecular pump. During heating, the pressure in chamber 78 and crucible 70 remained below 5.Math.10.sup.−6 Torr. Upon approaching the temperature of 1600° C., an increase in pressure and temperature was noticed. This served as an indication that the reaction between the elemental Si and C raw material mixture 91 leading to the formation of solid SiC had started. Crucible 70 was soaked at 1600° C. for 1 hour to complete the reaction of the elemental Si and C raw material mixture 91 to a solid SiC.

(54) After completing the synthesis of the solid SiC, the chamber 78 and, hence, crucible 70 were filled with pure helium to 500 Torr and the temperature of crucible 70 was raised to about 2100° C. Following this, PVT growth of SiC single crystal 73 was carried as in the previous example 1. During growth of SiC single crystal 73 in this example 2, the temperatures of SiC source 91 and SiC seed crystal 72 were controlled to reach 2170° C. and 2110° C., respectively, and the He pressure inside chamber 78 and crucible 70 was reduced to 20 Torr.

(55) Investigation of the SiC single crystal 73 boule grown in accordance with this example 2 and the wafers sliced therefrom showed that the grown SiC single crystal 73 boule included no visible carbon particles, Si droplets, or inclusions of the 15R polytype. The average micropipe density in this SiC single crystal 73 boule was below 1 cm.sup.−2, as shown in FIG. 10.

(56) The SiC single crystal 73 boule grown in accordance with this example 2 was fabricated into wafers yielding 25 standard 3″ substrates. These wafers were evaluated for their electrical resistivity. All 25 wafers were semi-insulating with a resistivity above 1.Math.10.sup.10 Ohm-cm and standard deviation below 10%.

(57) The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. Obvious modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.