| The most promising substrates for III-Nitride devices---bulk aluminum nitride (AlN) crystals were grown by seeded and self-seeded methods in sandwich sublimation configuration in nitrogen atmosphere. The growth was performed in an inductively heated reactor, which was designed and assembled during the course of this project. In the theoretical study of mass transfer effects on the crystal growth rate a one-dimensional model was developed assuming diffusion of Al species as rate limiting step. Estimation and validation of model parameters were completed by experiments carried out at temperature 1800--2400°C, pressure 55--105 kPa and temperature gradient in the vapor phase 1--4°C. Crystal growth rates ∼1 mm/h, viable for commercial production and very good uniformity in the plane of growth were achieved.; Two typical issues during the seeded growth on SiC were identified: (1) the formation of voids, and (2) the formation of cracks. A viable process window of temperatures, growth times and source-to-seed distances was identified in which these issues could be overcome and single crystalline AIN was deposited on 200--300 mm2 SiC seeds. X-ray diffraction confirmed a single crystalline nature of the grown material, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy revealed the step-flow growth mechanism.; Grain expansion in the growth direction during self-seeded studies indicated a possibility of achieving single crystalline AlN of significant size starting from a polycrystalline material. Growth interruption and seed preparation were introduced to preserve the crucible integrity and provide conditions for one-dimensional transport. The use of an inverted temperature gradient during initial stages and sintering of the AlN powder source helped eliminating the secondary nucleation, which had been identified to be an issue during the growth on previously polished AlN seeds. X-ray topography and optical microscopy confirmed the epitaxial re-growth after interruption. In multiple growth experiments at ∼2100°C, 67 kPa and a ∼1°C/mm temperature gradient in the vapor phase centimeter-sized single crystalline AlN was obtained. Reflection X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the strain decreased as the grain size increased. Elemental analysis confirmed low impurity levels in the grown material. Luminescence and absorption spectra showed good optical quality of the grown AlN crystals. |
