IP Library Granted Patent US 10,711,369
Granted Patent B2
US 10,711,369 · App. 15/532,791 · Granted Jul 14, 2020

Method for producing silicon carbide single crystal and silicon carbide single crystal substrate

Inventors: Shinya Sato (Tokyo, JP); Tatsuo Fujimoto (Tokyo, JP); Masakazu Katsuno (Tokyo, JP); Hiroshi Tsuge (Tokyo, JP); Masashi Nakabayashi (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SHOWA DENKO K.K.
C30B23/025C01B32/963C23C14/0635C23C14/243C30B29/36
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,711,369
App. No.
15/532,791
Granted
Jul 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides a method for producing an SiC single crystal, enabling obtaining an SiC single crystal substrate in which a screw dislocation-reduced region is ensured in a wide range, and an SiC single crystal substrate. The SiC single crystal substrate is produced using a seed crystal having an off angle in the off orientation from a {0001} plane by a production method wherein in advance of a growth main step of performing crystal growth to form a facet {0001} plane in the crystal peripheral part on the crystal end face having grown thereon the bulk silicon carbide single crystal and obtain more than 50% of the thickness of the obtained SiC single crystal, a growth sub-step of growing the crystal at a higher nitrogen concentration than in the growth main step and at a growth atmosphere pressure of 3.9 to 39.9 kPa and a seed crystal temperature of 2,100° C. to less than 2,300° C. is included.

Claims (8)

1. A method for producing a silicon carbide single crystal, comprising placing a seed crystal composed of silicon carbide on a crucible lid body of a crucible having a crucible container body and the crucible lid body, placing a silicon carbide raw material in the crucible container body, and sublimating the silicon carbide raw material to grow a bulk silicon carbide single crystal on the seed crystal, wherein

the seed crystal has an off angle in an off orientation from a {0001} plane,

wherein in advance of a growth main step of performing crystal growth to form a facet {0001} plane in a crystal peripheral part on a crystal end face having grown thereon the bulk silicon carbide single crystal and obtain more than 50% of a thickness of the obtained SiC single crystal, said method comprises a growth sub-step of growing the crystal at (i) a higher nitrogen concentration than in the growth main step, (ii) a growth atmosphere pressure of 3.9 to 39.9 kPa, (iii) a seed crystal temperature of 2,100° C. to less than 2,300° C., and (iv) a crystal growth rate of 0.1 mm/h or less,

wherein the nitrogen concentration in the crystal in the growth sub-step is from 2×10 19 to 1×10 20 cm −3 , and

wherein in the growth main step, the nitrogen concentration in the crystal is from 1×10 18 to 1×10 20 cm −3 .

2. The method for producing a silicon carbide single crystal according to claim 1 , wherein in the growth main step, the growth atmosphere pressure is from 0.13 to 2.6 kPa, and the temperature of the seed crystal is higher than in the growth sub-step and is less than 2,400° C.

3. The method for producing a silicon carbide single crystal according to claim 1 , wherein the facet {0001} plane is formed by forming the bulk silicon carbide single crystal on the main plane of the seed crystal such that in the process of growing of a bulk silicon carbide single crystal, the growth surface comes to have a curved surface in the growth peripheral part and be made flat in the growth central part compared with the growth peripheral part.

4. The method for producing a silicon carbide single crystal according to claim 1 , wherein the bulk silicon carbide single crystal is grown in the growth sub-step until the thickness of the bulk silicon carbide single crystal increases by 1 mm or more, and structural conversion of part of the screw dislocation in the silicon carbide single crystal to a stacking fault and reduction in the screw dislocation density in a region separated from the facet {0001} plane on the crystal end face of the silicon carbide single crystal are thereby achieved in the growth sub-step.

Assignments (4)
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 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 18, 2018
From: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
To: SHOWA DENKO K.K.
Reel/Frame 045570/0942 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2017
From: SATO, SHINYA; FUJIMOTO, TATSUO; KATSUNO, MASAKAZU; TSUGE, HIROSHI; NAKABAYASHI, MASASHI
To: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042588/0457 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2014-246912 · Dec 5, 2014 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170342593A1 · Nov 30, 2017