Simulation of heat and mass transfer during growth of silicon carbide single crystals

Interest in silicon carbide as a semiconductor suitable for fabricating devices operating under extreme conditions has increased sharply in recent years. The main problem now lies in the mass production of silicon carbide single crystals with a low defect density and high cross-sectional uniformity of the properties. This study involves a numerical simulation of heat and mass transfer processes during growth of SiC single crystals by the sublimation method. The results obtained make it possible to trace the effect of the growth conditions on the temperature distribution and the distribution of the main components in the vapor phase, as well as the radial profile of the rate of growth of a single crystal for different stages of growth process. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.