Interfacial properties in liquid phase growth of SiC

The wetting properties of various Si-Se solutions on the Si and C faces of 6H- and 4H-SiC(0001) wafers are studied and the dissolution morphologies are investigated. The wetting and dissolution characteristics are dependent on the solvent composition and the results show that the Si:Sc = 60:40 (wt %) composition is suitable for liquid phase growth. The solvent shows a small difference in the contact behavior on the Si and C face of the wafer. The faces show a diversity in the dissolution anisotropy. The characteristics are sensitive to the quality of the wafer surface. The temperature dependence of the wetting angle and dissolution morphology is examined. The results suggest a temperature dependent surface tension of the two-component solvent and a change in the dissolution character with solvent composition. The change of the wetting properties due to wafer off-orientation from the basal plane is investigated. The interfacial energies between the solvent and the SiC wafer are obtained for pure Si melt and Si:Sc = 60:40 (wt %) alloy. From the results, the surface free energies on the Si and C faces of 4H-SiC are estimated and experimental results supporting the estimations have been collected. (C) 1999 The Electrochemical Society. S0013-4651(98)06-111-4. All rights reserved.