Influence of solution flow on step bunching in solution growth of SiC crystals

The control of step bunching by solution flow in 4H-SiC solution growth is proposed. We achieved the solution flow control with the specially designed top-seeded solution growth method as follows: by deviating a seed crystal from the center of a crucible and rotating the crucible in one direction, the solution flow direction was controlled to be parallel or antiparallel to the step-flow direction. After the growth, the widely spaced, accumulated macrosteps were observed and the surface of the grown crystal became rough under the parallel flow. On the other hand, the development of the macrosteps was suppressed under the antiparallel flow. As the growth proceeds, the surface roughness of the growth surface increases under the parallel flow, while the surface roughness decreases under the antiparallel flow. This fact suggests the solution flow control can be an effective method to suppress the step bunching during the solution growth of SiC single crystals.