IP Library Granted Patent US 7,794,842
Granted Patent B2
US 7,794,842 · App. 10/589,680 · Granted Sep 14, 2010

Silicon carbide single crystal, silicon carbide single crystal wafer, and method of production of same

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,794,842
App. No.
10/589,680
Granted
Sep 14, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides a high resistivity, high quality, large size SiC single crystal, SiC single crystal wafer, and method of production of the same, that is, a silicon carbide single crystal containing uncompensated impurities in an atomic number density of 1 ×10 15 /cm 3 or more and containing vanadium in an amount less than said uncompensated impurity concentration, silicon carbide single crystal wafer obtained by processing and polishing the silicon carbide single crystal and having an electrical resistivity at room temperature of 5×10 3 Ωcm or more, and a method of production of a silicon carbide single crystal.

Claims (20)

1. A silicon carbide single crystal containing an uncompensated impurity in a concentration of at least 1×10 15 /cm 3 and not more than 1×10 17 /cm 3 and containing vanadium in a concentration of less than the concentration of said uncompensated impurity; wherein the difference in concentrations of said uncompensated impurity and said vanadium is such that said single crystal has an electrical resistivity at room temperature of at least 1.19×10 10 Ωcm.

2. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said uncompensated impurity has a concentration of not more than 5×10 16 /cm 3 .

3. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said uncompensated impurity gives a conductivity type of an n type.

4. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said vanadium has a concentration of at least 5×10 14 /cm 3 .

5. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said vanadium has a concentration of not less than 1×10 15 /cm 3 .

6. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said vanadium has a concentration of not less than 1×10 16 /cm 3 .

7. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the difference in concentration of said uncompensated impurity and said vanadium is not more than 1×10 17 /cm 3 .

8. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the difference in concentration of said uncompensated impurity and said vanadium is not more than 5×10 16 /cm 3 .

9. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the difference in concentration of said uncompensated impurity and said vanadium is not more than 1×10 16 /cm 3 .

10. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said silicon carbide single crystal has a main polytype of 3C, 4H, or 6H.

11. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said silicon carbide single crystal has a main polytype of 4H.

12. A silicon carbide single crystal wafer obtained by processing and polishing a silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said wafer has an electrical resistivity at room temperature of at least 1.19×10 10 Ωcm.

13. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 12 , wherein said silicon carbide single crystal has an electrical resistivity at room temperature of not more than 3.59×10 11 Ωcm.

14. A silicon carbide single crystal wafer obtained by processing and polishing a silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said silicon carbide single crystal wafer at room temperature is a single polytype of 3C, 4H, or 6H.

15. A silicon carbide single crystal wafer as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said silicon carbide single crystal wafer is comprised of a single polytype of 4H.

16. A silicon carbide single crystal wafer as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said wafer has a size of at least 50 mm.

17. A silicon carbide single crystal wafer as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said wafer has a size of at least 100 mm.

18. An epitaxial wafer comprised of a silicon carbide single crystal wafer as set forth in claim 14 , on the surface of which a silicon carbide thin film is grown.

19. An epitaxial wafer comprised of a silicon carbide single crystal wafer as set forth in claim 14 , on the surface of which a gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, or indium nitride thin film or mixed crystal thin film of the same is grown.

20. A silicon carbide single crystal as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said silicon carbide single crystal has an electrical resistivity at room temperature of not less than 4.74×10 10 Ωcm.

Assignments (6)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Feb 14, 2024
From: RESONAC CORPORATION
To: RESONAC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 066599/0037 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 23, 2023
From: SHOWA DENKO K.K.
To: RESONAC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064082/0513 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Apr 20, 2018
From: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
To: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 045784/0542 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 20, 2018
From: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
To: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 045991/0609 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 20, 2018
From: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
To: SHOWA DENKO K.K.
Reel/Frame 045991/0704 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 16, 2006
From: NAKABAYASHI, MASASHI; FUJIMOTO, TATSUO; SAWAMURA, MITSURU; OHTANI, NOBORU
To: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 018228/0323 →