Enhancing growth speed of 3C–SiC using solution growth method by a new low temperature Mn-based cosolvent

Abstract

Solution growth is a promising method for rapidly and stably preparing high-quality silicon carbide (SiC) single crystals. However, the coexistence of polycrystalline parasitism and solid inclusions during the growth of SiC in high-temperature solutions above 1800 °C still poses a serious threat to the quality of single crystals. Herein, we introduce an innovative Mn-based cosolvent for controlling the stable and fast growth of cubic-type silicon carbide (3C–SiC) single crystals at low temperatures. Firstly, our thermodynamic analysis reveals that SiC is the only stable solid compound in the low-temperature solution (1500–1600 °C) of the Si–Mn–C system, which is an important condition for the stable growth of crystals. Compared to typical solvents like Si–Cr, Si–Ti, and Si–Fe, the Si–Mn solvent exhibits the highest solubility and supersaturation for carbon. Secondly, our solubility calculations of SiC in the solvent show that the Mn-rich solvent can significantly increase the solubility of SiC. Thirdly, we successfully grew 3C–SiC single crystals from Si–Mn solution at 1500 °C without other SiC polymorphs produced. Rapid growth of SiC crystals in Mn-rich solution was achieved by modulating the content of Mn. Our work highlights the superiority of Si–Mn cosolvents in facilitating rapid growth of 3C–SiC single crystals at low temperatures. It introduces a novel approach by applying phase diagram calculation techniques to design suitable solvent systems for the solution growth of SiC single crystals.