Impact of Varying Parameters on the Temperature Gradients in 100 mm Silicon Carbide Bulk Growth in a Computer Simulation Validated by Experimental Results

The investigation of the interplay of experimental crystal growth runs and computer simulations of the physical vapor transport (PVT) growth process of silicon carbide (SiC) strongly supports the development of the growth technology toward larger crystalline diameters. To apply computer‐aided designs of the growth process, a material database is developed that enables quantitative calculations of the temperature distribution inside the growth setup. The model utilizing COMSOL Multiphysics is validated by experimental means using five 100 mm SiC crystal growth runs, two measurement runs in a 100 mm PVT setup, and one SiC crystal growth run in a 75 mm PVT setup, varying in power, pressure, coil position, and reactor geometry. Material data are varied and the impact on the thermal gradients is investigated to trace out critical and noncritical parameters for the accuracy of the simulation. The influence of ambient pressure on the isolation's performance is studied experimentally and this correlation is implemented into the model. Beyond the state of the art, this work presents a modeling approach and handling of material properties for a true scale up of the current 100 mm and 150 mm SiC sublimation growth technologies to 200 mm. Numerical simulation used to model the physical vapor transport (PVT) method is a widely employed tool for the growth of silicon carbide. However, due to the high temperatures in PVT growth, material data are often missing or incorrect. The influence of several material properties on crucial growth conditions is investigated and the implications for the resulting crystal are discussed.