Preparation and characterization of AlN seeds for homogeneous growth

Large size AlN bulk crystal has been grown on SiC heterogeneous seed by physical vapor transport (PVT). The properties of AlN wafer were characterized by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), Raman spectroscopy, etched method and atomic force microscope (AFM). Growth mechanism of AlN crystal grown on heterogeneous SiC seeds was proposed. Crystallization quality of AlN samples were improved with the growth process, which is associated with the growth mechanism. AlN single wafer has excellent crystallization quality, which is indicated by HRXRD showing the (0002), ( $10\overline{1}2$) XRD FWHM of 76.3, 52.5 arcsec, respectively. The surface of the AlN wafer is measured by AFM with a roughness of 0.15 nm, which is a promising seed for AlN homogeneous growth. (paper)