High-purity semi-insulating 4H-SiC grown by the seeded-sublimation method

The growth of high-purity, semi-insulating (HPSI) 4H-SiC crystals has been achieved using the seeded-sublimation growth technique. These semi-insulating (SI) crystals (2-inch diameter) were produced without the intentional introduction of elemental deep-level dopants, such as vanadium, and wafers cut from these crystals possess room-temperature resistivities greater than 10 super(9) Omega cm. Based upon temperature-dependent resistivity measurements, the SI behavior is characterized by several activation energies ranging from 0.9-1.5 eV. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data suggest that the SI behavior originates from deep levels associated with intrinsic point defects. Typical micropipe densities for wafers were between 30 cm super(-2) and 150 cm super(-2). The room-temperature thermal conductivity of this material is near the theoretical maximum of 5 W/mK for 4H-SiC, making these wafers suitable for high-power microwave applications.