Preparation of particle-size-controlled SiC powder for single-crystal growth

High-purity ${\beta}-SiC$ powders for SiC single-crystal growth were synthesized by direct carbonization. The use of high-purity raw materials to improve the quality of a SiC single crystal is important. To grow SiC single crystals by the PVT method, both the particle size and the packing density of the SiC powder are crucial factors that determine the sublimation rate. In this study, we tried to produce high-purity ${\beta}-SiC$ powder with large particle sizes and containing low silicon by introducing a milling step during the direct carbonization process. Controlled heating improved the purity of the ${\beta}-SiC$ powders to more than 99 % and increased the particle size to as much as ${\sim}100{\mu}m$. The ${\beta}-SiC$ powders were characterized by SEM, XRD, PSA, and chemical analysis to assess their purity. Then, we conducted single-crystal growth experiments, and the grown 4H-SiC crystals showed high structural perfection with a FWHM of about 25-48 arcsec.