CN113403688A

CN113403688A - Seed crystal and preparation method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN113403688A
Application number: CN202110691445.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张宁; 杨晓俐; 李加林; 刘星; 高超; 方帅; 石志强; 刘家朋
Original assignee: Shandong Tianyue Advanced Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shandong Tianyue Advanced Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-22
Filing date: 2021-06-22
Publication date: 2021-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-22
Also published as: CN113403688B

Abstract

The application discloses a preparation method of seed crystals, in particular relates to silicon carbide seed crystals and a preparation method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor materials. The preparation method comprises the following steps: repairing or reconstructing the step of the seed crystal growth surface by adopting gas phase formed by molten components; wherein the molten state component comprises at least one of the reactive elements capable of forming a solid mass with the at least one element in the seed crystal. The preparation method can repair the damaged step of the seed crystal growth surface, or reconstruct a new step on the seed crystal growth surface, and can simply and efficiently control the step density of the seed crystal growth surface, namely, the repairability or the regulation of the seed crystal growth surface information is realized, and a foundation is laid for obtaining the crystal with ultrahigh quality by subsequent growth.

Description

Seed crystal and preparation method thereof

Technical Field

The application relates to a seed crystal and a preparation method thereof, in particular to a silicon carbide seed crystal and a preparation method thereof, belonging to the technical field of semiconductor materials.

Background

Silicon carbide crystal is one of important third-generation semiconductor materials, has excellent performance in the aspects of high temperature, high frequency, high power, radiation resistance and the like, and silicon carbide-based devices are widely applied to multiple fields of military affairs, civil affairs, aerospace and the like and are the key fields of scientific and technical research of various countries.

At present, the most widely used method for growing silicon carbide crystals is a physical vapor transport method, and then a liquid phase method, a chemical vapor transport method and the like are adopted. When the high-quality silicon carbide substrate is prepared by adopting the growth method, high-quality silicon carbide seed crystals cannot be separated, namely, silicon carbide crystals grow on the seed crystals in a homoepitaxial manner. Because the seed crystal provides a growth center for the subsequent crystal growth, the problems existing in the seed crystal are often inherited into the subsequently grown crystal, and therefore, the quality and the size of the seed crystal have important influence on the quality and the size of the grown crystal.

The traditional silicon carbide seed crystal needs to be cut, ground and flattened and the like in the preparation process, so that the original growth information on the surface of the crystal is inevitably damaged in the processing process, particularly the atomic step is seriously damaged, and a large number of defect characteristics are introduced, so that the quality of the subsequently grown crystal is deteriorated. In addition, in order to obtain a sufficiently high growth step density and a high-quality crystal, growth is generally performed at an angle deviated from the C-plane (0001), and in order to make the growth plane of the seed crystal deviated from the C-plane at an angle, damage to the growth step during the process is more serious. Patent CN110670123A proposes a method for preparing silicon carbide single crystal by continuing a single growth center, for the crystal obtained by traditional seed crystal growth, selecting a wafer with a single growth center without treatment as the seed crystal, avoiding the phenomenon of multi-core growth, and effectively reducing the defect density in the single crystal. However, in the seed crystal processing mode, due to the unbalanced proportion of the materials grown in the later stage, a high-quality seed crystal wafer without macroscopic defects is difficult to obtain, the efficiency is low, and only one seed crystal can be obtained from each crystal rod; and the a surface is repeatedly grown for a plurality of times to optimize the seed crystal, the period is long, and the high-quality seed crystal is not easy to obtain due to too many coupling factors in the growth process.

In addition, because the atomic step density of the traditional seed crystal is not controllable, defects such as polytype, dislocation and the like are easily generated in the growth process, and the quality of the silicon carbide crystal grown subsequently is difficult to ensure.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the problems, the application provides the seed crystal and the preparation method thereof, the preparation method can repair the damaged atomic steps of the growth surface of the seed crystal, or reconstruct new atomic steps on the growth surface of the seed crystal, and can simply and efficiently control the step density of the growth surface of the seed crystal, so that the repairability or the regulation and control of the information of the growth surface of the seed crystal are realized, and a foundation is laid for obtaining the crystal with ultrahigh quality by subsequent growth.

According to an aspect of the present application, there is provided a method for preparing a seed crystal, comprising the steps of: repairing or reconstructing an atomic step of a seed crystal growth surface by adopting a gas phase formed by molten components;

wherein the molten state component comprises at least one of the reactive elements capable of forming a solid mass with the at least one element in the seed crystal.

The gas phase component formed by the molten state component can form a chemical bond (including a covalent bond and/or an ionic bond) with at least one element in the seed crystal, and when the bond length of the new chemical bond is equal to the original chemical bond in the seed crystal, the atom step of the damaged seed crystal growth surface can be repaired, so that the damaged seed crystal growth surface has a complete lattice structure again, namely the original growth information of the seed crystal growth surface is repaired; when the bond length of the new chemical bond is not equal to the original chemical bond in the seed crystal, a new atomic step can be constructed, and the reconstruction of the growth information of the growth surface of the seed crystal is completed. In conclusion, by controlling the types of the components in the molten state, the components and elements in the seed crystal form chemical bonds with different bond lengths, so that the step density of the growth surface of the seed crystal is regulated.

Optionally, the reactive element is selected from at least one of a metallic element or a metalloid element, wherein the metalloid element is boron, carbon, silicon, arsenic, selenium or tellurium;

preferably, the reactive element is selected from at least one of silicon, aluminum, boron, vanadium, gallium, scandium, titanium, chromium, manganese, cerium and praseodymium. Selecting the types of reaction elements according to the required step density, wherein when the atomic step with smaller size is required, the chemical bond length formed by the reaction elements and the elements in the seed crystal is less than the chemical bond length between the elements in the seed crystal; when an atomic step with larger size is needed, the chemical bond length formed by the reaction element and the elements in the seed crystal is longer than the chemical bond length between the elements in the seed crystal; in addition, the reaction elements are ensured to have higher activity by selecting the types of the reaction elements, and chemical bonds can be quickly formed with the elements in the seed crystals.

Optionally, after preheating the seed crystal at the first position, adjusting the seed crystal to the second position, and enabling the seed crystal to be close to the liquid level of the molten component, so that the gas phase of the molten component and at least one element in the seed crystal form a solid substance, thereby repairing or reconstructing the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal. The seed crystal is preheated at the first position, so that the components with lower boiling points in the seed crystal are partially volatilized, the growth surface of the seed crystal is activated, partial free radicals are generated on the growth surface of the seed crystal, the reaction activity is higher, and the sublimed reaction elements and the free radicals in the seed crystal are ensured to form chemical bonds; meanwhile, the direct solidification of reaction elements caused by the low temperature of the growth surface of the seed crystal is prevented. And preheating the seed crystal, and adjusting the seed crystal to a second position to enable the growth surface of the seed crystal to be close to the liquid surface of the molten-state component, so that the sublimation amount of the component with a lower boiling point in the seed crystal is increased, namely the number of free radicals in the growth surface of the seed crystal is increased, and the repair and reconstruction speed of the atomic step is improved.

Optionally, the seed crystal is controlled to be at a pressure of 10 when in the first position^-6The difference between the heating temperature and the melting point of the molten component is 50-500 ℃ below mbar, and the difference is preferably 20 DEG C0℃。

Optionally, adjusting the seed crystal from the first position to the second position for no more than 1200s,

preferably, the time for adjusting the seed crystal from the first position to the second position is 60 to 600s, and more preferably 120 s. By controlling the time of adjusting the seed crystal from the first position to the second position, the shape of the repaired or reconstructed atomic step can be ensured to be uniform, atmosphere disturbance caused by too high adjusting speed can be prevented, and the quality of the seed crystal is improved.

Optionally, when the seed crystal is at the second position, the sublimation rate of the molten state component is 0.01-1 mL/s, and preferably 0.05 mL/s; and/or

When the seed crystal is at the second position, the difference between the heating temperature of the molten state component and the melting point of the molten state component is 50-500 ℃, and the difference is preferably 200 ℃; and/or

When the seed crystal is at the second position, the pressure of the molten components is 20-40 mbar, and preferably 30 mbar.

By controlling the heating temperature and pressure, the sublimation rate of the molten state component is controlled, the repair or reconstruction efficiency of the atomic step is ensured, and in addition, the phenomenon that the molten state component is sublimated too fast to cause nucleation disorder and influence the quality of the seed crystal can be prevented.

Optionally, when the seed crystal is at the first position, the preheating time is 30-120 min, preferably 50-80 min, and more preferably 60min, and the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid surface of the molten state component is 10-100 mm, preferably 10-80 mm, more preferably 10-50 mm, and most preferably 20 mm; and/or

When the seed crystal is positioned at the second position, the time for repairing or reconstructing the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal is 2-50 min, preferably 10-40 min, and more preferably 30 min; and the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid surface of the molten state component is 2-20 mm, preferably 2-10 mm, and more preferably 5 mm.

When the seed crystal is preheated at the first position, the preheating time and the preheating distance of the seed crystal are controlled, so that the growth surface of the seed crystal can generate enough free radicals, and the speed of repairing or reconstructing atomic steps is ensured.

When the seed crystal is positioned at the second position, the reaction time of the reaction elements and residual free radicals in the seed crystal can be ensured by controlling the time of the seed crystal positioned at the second position, so that atomic steps on the growth surface of the seed crystal are completely repaired or required step information is fully reconstructed, and the phenomenon of polytype or dislocation in the growth surface of the seed crystal caused by overlong reaction time can be avoided; by controlling the distance between the seed crystal growth surface and the liquid level of the molten component when the seed crystal growth surface is at the second position, crystallization caused by the supercooling phenomenon of the gas-phase component of the reaction element in the transmission process is avoided, and the atmosphere quantity of the gas-phase component of the reaction element at the seed crystal growth surface is ensured; meanwhile, the phenomenon that the liquid level of the seed crystal growth surface is too close to the liquid level of the molten state component is avoided, the nucleation disorder caused by too violent reaction is prevented, and the occurrence of polytype phenomenon is reduced.

Optionally, after repairing or reconstructing the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal at the second position, cooling the seed crystal to the first temperature at the first cooling rate or naturally, and continuing to cool the seed crystal to the second temperature at the second cooling rate; wherein the first temperature is 400-600 ℃, the second temperature is 15-30 ℃, the first cooling rate is 0.05-0.15 ℃/s, and the second cooling rate is 0.8-1.6 ℃/s;

preferably, the first temperature is 500 ℃, the second temperature is 25 ℃, the first cooling rate is 0.1 ℃/s, and the second cooling rate is 1 ℃/s.

Firstly, the seed crystal is cooled to a first temperature at a first cooling rate or naturally, so that the phenomenon that the thermal stress of the seed crystal is too large due to too fast cooling of the seed crystal is avoided, and the phenomenon that the seed crystal cracks is avoided; and the seed crystal is rapidly cooled by controlling the second cooling rate, so that the step information of the growth surface of the seed crystal is rapidly solidified.

The cooling of the seed crystal may be achieved by a cooling gas, such as an inert gas like nitrogen, argon, helium, etc., the temperature of the cooling gas being-40 ℃ to-60 ℃.

Optionally, the seed crystal is a silicon carbide seed crystal, and the preparation method of the silicon carbide seed crystal comprises the following steps:

1) charging: fixing a seed crystal above a crucible, loading raw materials into the crucible, and placing the seed crystal and the crucible in a crystal processing chamber; the raw materials comprise 30-45% of silicon element by mole fraction, preferably 33% -41%, and more preferably 37%;

2) removing impurities;

3) seed crystal preheating: pumping the pressure in the crystal processing chamber to 10^-6Heating the raw materials in the crucible to 1500-2500 mbar, melting the raw materials to form molten components, adjusting the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid level of the molten components to 10-100 mm, and preheating for 30-120 min;

4) introducing inactive gas into the crystal processing chamber, adjusting the pressure in the processing chamber to 20-40 mbar, adjusting the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid surface of the molten state component to be 2-20 mm, and reacting for 2-50 min;

5) and adjusting the pressure in the crystal processing chamber to normal pressure, stopping heating, and cooling the seed crystal to obtain the seed crystal after atomic step repair or reconstruction.

Alternatively, the crucible may be a graphite crucible or a tantalum carbide crucible or the like; preferably, the molar ratio of the raw materials is silicon: chromium: aluminum: cerium: titanium (30-45): (45-55): (1-3): (3-7): (4-8); more preferably 37:50:2:5: 6.

Optionally, in step 2), the pressure in the processing chamber is pumped to 10^-6And introducing inert gas to 300-500 mbar below mbar, and repeating the process at least twice.

Optionally, in the step 3), the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid level of the molten component is adjusted to be 20mm, and preheating is carried out for 60 min.

Optionally, in step 4), introducing argon or helium with purity greater than 99.9% into the crystal processing chamber, adjusting the pressure in the processing chamber to 30mbar, adjusting the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid level of the molten state component to 5mm, and reacting for 30 min;

optionally, in the step 5), after heating is stopped, taking out the seed crystal, cooling the seed crystal to 400-600 ℃ at a cooling rate of 0.05-0.15 ℃/s, and then cooling to 15-30 ℃ at a cooling rate of 0.8-1.6 ℃/s to obtain the seed crystal after step repair or reconstruction.

Preferably, in the step 5), after the heating is stopped, the seed crystal is taken out, the seed crystal is cooled to 500 ℃ at the cooling rate of 0.1 ℃/s, and then is cooled to 25 ℃ at the cooling rate of 1 ℃/s, so that the seed crystal after the step repair or reconstruction is obtained.

The boiling point of the silicon element in the silicon carbide seed crystal is lower than that of the carbon element, so that the silicon element in the silicon carbide seed crystal is supplemented by adding a certain amount of silicon into the molten components; by controlling the addition of silicon element, the doping amount of other components in the silicon carbide seed crystal is reduced, and the polytype phenomenon of the prepared silicon carbide single crystal is prevented; in addition, the partial pressure of the silicon gas phase in the gas phase generated by the components in the molten state is prevented from being too high, so that the sublimation rate and the sublimation quantity of the silicon element in the silicon carbide seed crystal are prevented from being influenced, and the repair or reconstruction of the growth surface of the silicon carbide seed crystal is further ensured.

According to another aspect of the application, a seed crystal is provided, wherein the seed crystal is prepared by the preparation method of any one of the above methods, the seed crystal comprises a silicon carbide seed crystal, the atomic step width of the growth surface of the silicon carbide seed crystal is 50-1000 nm, and the atomic step height is 0.02-0.5 nm.

It can be understood that the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal is repaired or reconstructed in the application, and the surface is taken as the growth surface of the crystal for crystal growth in the subsequent process of preparing the single crystal.

Optionally, the difference in width between a plurality of the atomic steps is no greater than 10 nm; and/or

The height difference between a plurality of the atomic steps is not more than 0.01 nm.

Preferably, the difference in width between a plurality of the atomic steps is not more than 5 nm; and/or

The height difference between a plurality of the atomic steps is not more than 0.005 nm.

Optionally, the crystal form of the silicon carbide seed crystal is one of 2H-SiC, 3C-SiC, 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC and 15R-SiC;

preferably, the silicon carbide seed crystal is 4H-SiC, and the width of the atomic step is 200-800 nm, preferably 400-600 nm, and more preferably 500 nm; the height of the atomic step is 0.02-0.5 nm; preferably 0.1-0.2 nm; more preferably 0.125 nm; and/or

The silicon carbide seed crystal is 6H-SiC, and the width of the atomic step is 400-1000 nm, preferably 600-800 nm, and more preferably 700 nm; the height of the atomic step is 0.05-0.5 nm; preferably 0.2-0.3 nm; more preferably 0.243 nm.

Optionally, the included angle between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the positive C surface (0001) of the seed crystal is 0-8 degrees, preferably 0-4 degrees, and more preferably 0-2 degrees.

Optionally, the doping concentration of the doping element in the seed crystal is not more than 10¹⁶cm^-3Preferably, the doping concentration of the doping element in the seed crystal is not more than 10¹⁴cm^-3(ii) a Wherein the doping element can form a solid substance with carbon element and/or silicon element, and the doping element does not contain silicon element and carbon element.

Optionally, the TTV of the seed crystal is not more than 10 μm, BOW is not more than 10 μm, and Warp is not more than 10 μm; preferably, the TTV of the seed crystal is not more than 5 μm, the BOW is not more than 5 μm, and the Warp is not more than 5 μm; and/or

The defect density of the growth surface of the seed crystal is not more than 50/cm²；

Optionally, the seed is a conductive silicon carbide seed or a semi-insulating silicon carbide seed; and/or

The diameter of the seed crystal is 3-30 cm; preferably, the diameter of the seed crystal is 5-25 cm; more preferably, the diameter of the seed crystal is 10-20 cm; and/or

The thickness of the seed crystal is 200-600 mu m; preferably, the thickness of the seed crystal is 350-500 μm; more preferably, the seed crystal has a thickness of 450 μm.

According to still another aspect of the present application, there is provided a single crystal produced from or produced from the seed crystal obtained by the production method described in any one of the above, the single crystal including a silicon carbide single crystal.

Optionally, the silicon carbide single crystal has a threading dislocation density of not more than 100cm^-2(ii) a Preferably, the silicon carbide single crystal has a threading dislocation density of not more than 80cm^-2(ii) a More preferably, the silicon carbide single crystal has a threading dislocation density of not more than 50cm^-2(ii) a And/or

The silicon carbide single crystal has an edge dislocation density of not more than 50cm^-2(ii) a Preferably, the silicon carbide single crystal has an edge dislocation density of not more than 30cm^-2(ii) a And/or

The silicon carbide single crystal has a basal plane dislocation density of not more than 50cm^-2(ii) a Preferably, the silicon carbide single crystal has a basal plane dislocation density of not more than 30cm^-2(ii) a And/or

The silicon carbide single crystal has a total dislocation density of not more than 1000cm^-2(ii) a Preferably, the silicon carbide single crystal has a total dislocation density of not more than 800cm^-2(ii) a More preferably, the silicon carbide single crystal has a total dislocation density of not more than 500cm^-2。

Optionally, the silicon carbide single crystal does not contain a crystal polytype; and/or

The XRD half-peak width of the silicon carbide single crystal is lower than 40, preferably, the XRD half-peak width of the silicon carbide single crystal is lower than 30, and more preferably, the XRD half-peak width of the silicon carbide single crystal is lower than 20; and/or

The crystal form of the silicon carbide single crystal is one of 2H-SiC, 3C-SiC, 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC and 15R-SiC; and/or

The silicon carbide single crystal is a conductive silicon carbide single crystal or a semi-insulating silicon carbide single crystal, wherein the resistivity of the conductive silicon carbide single crystal is 0.01-0.02 ohm-cm, preferably 0.01-0.015 ohm-cm; the semi-insulating silicon carbide single crystal has a resistivity of not less than 1.0 x 10⁶Ω · cm, preferably, the resistivity of the semi-insulating silicon carbide single crystal is not less than 1.0 × 10⁸Ω·cm。

Benefits that can be produced by the present application include, but are not limited to:

1. according to the preparation method of the seed crystal, the damaged atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal can be repaired by selecting different molten components, or a new atomic step is reconstructed on the growth surface of the seed crystal, so that the step density of the growth surface of the seed crystal can be simply and efficiently controlled, the repairability or the regulation and control of the information of the growth surface of the seed crystal can be realized, and a foundation is laid for obtaining ultra-high-quality crystals for subsequent growth.

2. According to the preparation method of the seed crystal, by selecting different molten state components and controlling various parameters, new atomic steps can be constructed on the growth surface of the seed crystal according to the crystal growth requirements of different crystal forms, the steps of the growth surface of the seed crystal obtained by preparation are uniform, and a single crystal prepared by the seed crystal has no polytype, small dislocation density and good quality.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and not to limit the application. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a crucible in a seed crystal quality improving production apparatus according to example 1 of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a crucible in a seed crystal quality improving production apparatus according to example 1 of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a manufacturing apparatus for improving the quality of a seed crystal according to example 1 of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an atomic step before seed treatment according to example 2 of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an atomic step after a seed treatment according to example 2 of the present application;

FIG. 6 is an AFM image of a seed crystal before atomic step repair according to example 2 of the present application;

FIG. 7 is an AFM image of a seed crystal after atomic step repair according to example 2 of the present application.

List of parts and reference numerals:

1. seed crystal; 11. a processing chamber; 12. a heating unit; 13. a crucible; 14. components in a molten state; 15. a loading member; 16. a first power unit; 17. a turntable; 18. a second power unit; 19. a lifting platform; 20. a storage bin; 21. a manipulator; 22. a third power unit; 23. a fourth power unit; 24. a protective gas source; 25. a vacuum pump; 26. a first temperature measuring device; 27. a heat preservation structure; 41. a cooling chamber; 42. a partition plate; 43. a receiving unit; 44. a fifth power plant; 45. a cooling gas source; 46. and a second temperature measuring device.

Detailed Description

The present application will be described in detail with reference to examples, but the present application is not limited to these examples.

Unless otherwise specified, the raw materials and catalysts in the examples of the present application were all purchased commercially.

The analysis method in the examples of the present application is as follows:

scratching: the surface was observed with the naked eye under a fluorescent lamp.

Half peak width: the half-peak widths of the silicon carbide seed crystals and single crystals were tested by high resolution XRD to examine the crystal quality and crystallographic structure such as crystal orientation.

Resistivity: hall coefficient, conductivity type, resistivity, carrier mobility and carrier concentration of the semiconductor can be obtained by using a Hall measuring instrument to carry out Hall measurement on the sample by using a Van der Pauw method.

Dislocation: and carrying out dark field observation statistics under a high-resolution microscope.

Polytype: and (5) performing macroscopic inspection with naked eyes, wherein different crystal forms show different colors. If there is objection, performing Raman test to obtain Raman spectrum, and comparing with standard spectrum.

Element doping amount: the surface element analysis technical means for accurately measuring the surface chemical composition by using a secondary ion mass spectrometer can achieve the ppm order of precision.

Atomic step: and (5) carrying out atomic step observation and recording by using a high-precision AFM.

Example 1

Referring to fig. 1, the present embodiment provides a manufacturing apparatus for improving the quality of a seed crystal, including: a processing chamber 11, a heating unit 12, and a loading unit; wherein, a crucible 13 is arranged in the processing chamber 11, and the crucible 13 is used for containing raw materials; the heating unit 12 is arranged at the periphery of the crucible 13 and is used for melting the raw materials into molten components 14 and subliming the molten components to the seed crystal 1 so as to repair or reconstruct the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal; the upper edge of the heating unit 12 does not exceed the level of the molten component 14; the loading unit is used to load the seed crystal 1 such that the seed crystal 1 is located above the liquid level of the molten composition 14. By setting the upper edge of the heating unit 12 not to exceed the liquid level of the molten component 14, the heating unit 12 is prevented from heating the area between the liquid level of the molten component 14 and the seed crystal 1, so that a sufficient axial temperature gradient is ensured to be formed between the liquid level of the molten component 14 and the growth surface of the seed crystal, so that the gas phase of the molten component 14 is sublimated to the growth surface of the seed crystal, meanwhile, the radial temperature gradient at the growth surface of the seed crystal can be reduced or avoided, the uniform repair of the atomic step on the growth surface of the seed crystal is realized, the height and the width of the atomic step are uniform, and the crystal growth quality of subsequent single crystals is ensured.

As an embodiment, the upper edge of the heating unit 12 is level with the level of the molten component 14 and the lower edge of the heating unit 12 is level with the bottom end of the molten component 14. This arrangement allows for sufficient heating of the molten component 14 to ensure the sublimation rate of the molten component 14.

Referring to fig. 2, as an embodiment, a lifting unit for adjusting a distance between the seed crystal 1 and the liquid surface of the molten components 14 is further included. By arranging the lifting unit, the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the molten component 14 is flexibly adjusted according to the process requirements in the step preparation process, and the quality of the seed crystal 1 is further ensured.

Specifically, the lifting unit may be a lifting unit that adjusts the height of the seed crystal 1, may be a lifting unit that adjusts the level of the liquid surface of the molten state component 14, and may adjust both the height of the seed crystal 1 and the level of the liquid surface of the molten state component 14.

Referring to fig. 3, as an embodiment, a cooling chamber 41 is further included, and the cooling chamber 41 is communicated with the processing chamber 11 for cooling the prepared seed crystal 1. By arranging the cooling chamber 41 to be communicated with the processing chamber 11, the prepared seed crystal 1 can be directly transferred from the cooling chamber 41 into the processing chamber 11, and the seed crystal 1 is prevented from being oxidized or polluted in the conveying process; in addition, the heat in the processing chamber 11 can be partially conducted into the cooling chamber 41, so that the prepared seed crystal 1 can be pre-cooled in the cooling chamber 41, and the phenomenon that the stress of the seed crystal 1 is too large due to too fast cooling rate can be prevented.

With continued reference to fig. 3, as an embodiment, the loading unit comprises at least two loads 15 and a first power means 16, the loads 15 being intended to load the seeds 1, each load 15 being capable of adjusting the relative position with respect to the crucible 13 so that the growth surface of one of the seeds 1 is above the level of the molten composition 14; the first power means 16 is used to drive the loading unit in motion so that the loading unit delivers the seed crystal 1 to be treated above the level of the molten composition 14 and removes the prepared seed crystal 1 from above the level. By arranging the loading unit to comprise at least two loading parts 15 for loading the seed crystal 1, while one of the loading parts 15 removes the treated seed crystal 1 from above the crucible 13, the other loading part 15 conveys the seed crystal 1 to be treated to be above the high-temperature molten component 14, and the seed crystal 1 to be treated is treated, so that the continuous preparation of the seed crystal 1 can be realized, and the efficiency is greatly improved.

Specifically, the present embodiment does not limit the number of the loading members 15 as long as the continuous preparation of the seed crystal 1 can be achieved. The present embodiment is described by taking as an example that the loading unit comprises three load carriers 15, i.e. the loading unit comprises a first load carrier 15, a second load carrier 15 and a third load carrier 15.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the shape of the crucible 13 is not limited, and may be, for example, a cylindrical shape, an inverted circular truncated cone shape, a right circular truncated cone shape, or the like, and the bottom surface of the crucible 13 may be a flat surface or a curved surface, but is not limited to the above shape.

As an embodiment, the loading unit comprises a carousel 17, each loading member 15 being associated with a carousel 17; the first power means 16 drives the rotary table 17 to rotate the seed crystal 1 to be treated above the liquid surface of the molten component 14 and to rotate the prepared seed crystal 1 away from above the liquid surface. Through the arrangement of the rotary table 17, each loading part 15 is driven to move when the rotary table 17 rotates, so that the plurality of loading parts 15 are driven to rotate simultaneously, when one loading part 15 moves the treated seed crystal 1 from the position above the crucible 13, the other loading part 15 conveys the seed crystal 1 to be treated to the position above the high-temperature molten state component 14, the seed crystal 1 to be treated is treated, the continuous preparation of the seed crystal 1 is ensured, and the production efficiency is effectively improved.

It will be appreciated that, prior to processing the seed crystal 1, each of the carriers 15 may be loaded with the seed crystal 1 to be processed; or the seed crystal 1 can be loaded on the loading part 15 which is not loaded with the seed crystal 1 in the process of processing the seed crystal 1; it is also possible to load the seed crystal 1 on the loader 15 not loaded with the seed crystal 1 during the movement of the loader 15.

It will be appreciated that rotation of the turntable 17 causes the three carriers 15 to rotate in succession, causing the three carriers 15 to pass in sequence over the crucible 13. Specifically, the order in which the three carriers 15 pass over the crucible 13 is not limited in this embodiment, but the order of the first carrier, the second carrier, and the third carrier is taken as an example in this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above order.

Specifically, each loading member 15 may be connected to any position of the turntable 17, as long as the turntable 17 can drive the loading member 15 to move. Each carrier 15 is attached to the periphery of the turntable 17 in this embodiment. Specifically, each carrier 15 may be uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the turntable 17, or may be non-uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the turntable 17. Preferably, each load member 15 is evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the turntable 17.

Specifically, the present embodiment does not limit the type of the first power device 16, as long as the driving of the rotation of the turntable 17 can be realized. In this embodiment, the first power device 16 is a motor, one end of a motor shaft is connected to the turntable 17, and the motor shaft and the turntable 17 are connected in a conventional manner, which is not described herein again. After the first power device 16 is turned on, the motor shaft rotates, thereby driving the turntable 17 to rotate. It can be understood that, because the temperature in the processing chamber 11 is high, in order to ensure the normal operation of the first power device 16, the side wall of the processing chamber 11 is provided with a mounting hole, the first power device 16 is installed outside the processing chamber 11, and the motor shaft passes through the mounting hole and is connected with the turntable 17.

Specifically, the present embodiment does not limit the structure of the loading member 15, as long as the seed crystal 1 can be loaded and the growth surface of the seed crystal 1 can be conveyed above the liquid surface of the molten component 14. For example, the carrier 15 may include two holding arms that cooperate to hold the edge of the seed crystal 1.

As an implementation mode, the loading piece 15 comprises a connecting arm and a loading support, the structure of the loading support is matched with the shape of the seed crystal 1, the loading support is provided with an opening, and a groove is formed in the loading support along the circumferential direction; the seed crystal 1 enters the groove through the opening and is clamped in the groove. Set up the opening through holding in the palm loading to offer flutedly along the inside of loading support circumference, thereby make seed crystal 1 get into the recess through the opening in, and with the edge block of seed crystal 1 in the recess, simple structure makes things convenient for loading and taking out of seed crystal 1, further improves production efficiency.

Specifically, the shape of the loading tray is not limited in this embodiment, and the loading tray may be adapted to the shape of the seed crystal 1 so as to engage the edge of the seed crystal 1 in the groove. In this embodiment, the wafer-shaped seed crystal 1 is taken as an example, and the loading tray has an arc-shaped structure.

Specifically, the ratio of the circumferential length of the loading member 15 to the circumferential length of the seed crystal 1 is 0.35-0.5: 1. This mode of setting up not only can guarantee that seed crystal 1 passes through the opening smoothly and gets into in the recess, and can make the firm block in the recess in the edge of seed crystal 1, prevent that seed crystal 1 from dropping from loading 15.

Specifically, the loading support and the connecting arm can be fixedly connected or detachably connected, such as a threaded connection, a snap connection, and the like. Preferentially, in order to conveniently clean the loading support, the cleanness of the loading support is ensured, the pollution to the seed crystal 1 is avoided, and the loading support and the connecting arm are detachably connected.

Specifically, in order to make the loading holder resistant to high temperature and corrosion and avoid pollution to the seed crystal 1, the loading holder may be made of graphite or polytetrafluoroethylene, preferably graphite; specifically, in order to make the connecting arm resistant to high temperature and corrosion and avoid polluting the seed crystal 1, the connecting arm may be made of graphite or polytetrafluoroethylene, preferably graphite.

Specifically, the lifting unit comprises a second power device 18 and a lifting platform 19, the second power device 18 is connected with the lifting platform 19 through a connecting rod, the crucible 13 is placed above the lifting platform 19, and the first power device 16 drives the lifting platform 19 to lift, so that the crucible 13 is driven to lift, and the crucible 13 is close to or far away from the growth surface of the seed crystal.

Specifically, the type of the second power device 18 is not limited in this embodiment as long as the second power device can drive the lifting platform 19 to lift, and for example, the second power device may be an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electric cylinder, or the like. It can be understood that, because the temperature in the processing chamber 11 is high, in order to ensure the normal operation of the second power device 18, the side wall of the processing chamber 11 is provided with a mounting hole, the second power device 18 is installed outside the processing chamber 11, and the connecting rod passes through the mounting hole and is connected with the lifting platform 19.

As an embodiment, the loading unit further includes a stocker unit disposed in the processing chamber 11 for storing the seed crystal 1 to be processed. Through set up the storage unit in processing chamber 11 for the seed crystal 1 of storage pending, because the heat that crucible 13 gived off can make the temperature rise in the processing chamber 11, consequently can have the effect of preheating to seed crystal 1, the temperature rises suddenly and leads to the stress too big when preventing to shift seed crystal 1 to crucible 13 top, is favorable to guaranteeing the quality of seed crystal 1.

As an embodiment, the storage unit includes a storage bin 20 and a manipulator 21, at least two storage racks are axially arranged in the storage bin 20, the storage racks are used for storing the seed crystals 1 to be processed, and the manipulator 21 is used for moving the seed crystals 1 to be processed onto the loader 15. Through setting up storage silo 20 and including two at least storage framves, and set up manipulator 21 and be used for moving pending seed crystal 1 to loading 15 on, when seed crystal 1 on one of them loading support was in crucible 13 top, can transfer pending seed crystal 1 to empty loading support from the storage frame through manipulator 21 to realize the continuous preparation of seed crystal 1, improved production efficiency greatly.

Specifically, the number of the storage racks is not limited in this embodiment, and may be set according to actual production requirements, for example, 10, 15, 20, 25, and the like. Specifically, the material of the storage rack is not limited in this embodiment, as long as the seed crystal 1 can be supported. Preferably, in order to prevent the pollution to the seed crystal 1, the storage rack is made of graphite.

Specifically, the structure of the storage rack is not limited in this embodiment, as long as the seed crystal 1 can be supported. The storage rack in this embodiment is plate-shaped, and the edge of the plate-shaped storage rack is provided with a notch. This arrangement facilitates the removal of the seed crystal 1 from the magazine by the robot 21.

Specifically, the structure of the robot 21 is not limited in this embodiment, and the existing structure of the robot 21 may be adopted as long as the seed crystal 1 can be transferred to the carrier 15.

Specifically, the storage unit comprises a third power device 22 and a fourth power device 23, the third power device 22 is used for driving the storage bin 20 to ascend and descend, the fourth power device 23 is connected with the manipulator 21, and the manipulator 21 is a push rod. When the loading piece 15 moves to the storage bin 20, the fourth power mechanism drives the manipulator 21 to move, so that the seed crystal 1 of the storage rack is pushed into the loading support, and the edge of the seed crystal 1 is clamped in the groove of the loading support. The third power means 22 drives the movement of the magazine 20 to move the magazine containing the seed crystals 1 to the position of the load 15 in preparation for loading to the next load 15.

As an embodiment, a partition plate 42 is disposed between the cooling chamber 41 and the processing chamber 11, and a strip-shaped opening is disposed on the partition plate 42; the loading member 15 drives the treated seed crystal 1 to enter the cooling chamber 41 after passing through the strip-shaped opening. By arranging the cooling chamber 41, arranging the partition plate 42 between the cooling chamber 41 and the processing chamber 11 and arranging the strip-shaped opening on the partition plate 42, the prepared seed crystal 1 is directly transferred from the processing chamber 11 to the cooling chamber 41 to be cooled by the loading piece 15 under the driving of the turntable 17, so that the transfer process of the seed crystal 1 is omitted, the production efficiency is improved, and the quality of the seed crystal 1 is further ensured; in addition, the strip-shaped opening is arranged to partially conduct the heat in the processing chamber 11 to the cooling chamber 41, so that the prepared seed crystal 1 can be pre-cooled in the cooling chamber 41, and the phenomenon that the stress of the seed crystal 1 is too large due to too fast cooling rate is prevented.

As an embodiment, a material receiving unit 43 is arranged in the cooling chamber 41, and at least two material receiving bins are arranged in the material receiving unit 43; the loading piece 15 drives the treated seed crystal 1, and the treated seed crystal 1 is placed in the receiving bin after passing through the strip-shaped opening. Be provided with a plurality of receipts feed bins through setting up in the receipts material unit 43 to place a plurality of seed crystals 1 of handling the completion, collect a plurality of seed crystals 1 back when receiving the feed bin, concentrate and cool off a plurality of seed crystals 1, thereby realize cooling off seed crystals 1 in batches, improved cooling efficiency, and practiced thrift the energy that the cooling consumed.

It can be understood that, when the seed crystal 1 is cooled, the seed crystal 1 after being processed can be collected in each receiving bin, and the seed crystal 1 after being processed can also be collected in partial receiving bins.

Specifically, this embodiment does not limit the number of receiving bins, can be the same with the quantity of storage frame, also can be different with the quantity of storage frame. Preferably, the number of the receiving bins is the same as the number of the storage racks. Specifically, the material of the material receiving bin is not limited in this embodiment. Preferably, in order to prevent the receiving bin from polluting the seed crystal 1, the material of the receiving bin can be graphite, polytetrafluoroethylene or the like.

Specifically, the opening direction of the material receiving bin is not limited in this embodiment. Preferably, receive the feed bin opening upwards, the linking arm with load and install the upset motor between holding in the palm, hold in the palm when transporting seed crystal 1 to receiving feed bin department when loading, the upset motor drives and loads and hold in the palm the upset to make seed crystal 1 drop to receiving feed bin in from the opening part that loads and hold in the palm.

Specifically, the material receiving unit 43 is connected with the fifth power device 44, and the fifth power device 44 drives the material receiving unit 43 to move, so that the opening of the material receiving bin is close to the position of the loading support, and the prepared seed crystal 1 is conveniently placed in the material receiving bin by the loading support.

As an embodiment, the process chamber 11 includes a first gas inlet and a gas outlet. The first gas inlet and the gas outlet are arranged in the processing chamber 11, so that the process chamber 11 is convenient to vacuumize or introduce gas.

Specifically, the first air inlet is communicated with the protective air source 24 through a first pipeline, and a first flowmeter is arranged on the first pipeline; the gas outlet is connected to a vacuum pump 25 to evacuate the gas from the processing chamber 11.

It can be understood that, since the partition plate 42 is disposed between the processing chamber 11 and the cooling chamber 41, and the partition plate 42 is provided with the strip-shaped opening, when the vacuum pump 25 vacuumizes the processing chamber 11, the gas in the cooling chamber 41 is also pumped out. When gas is introduced into the processing chamber 11, the introduced gas also enters the cooling chamber 41 through the strip-shaped openings.

In one embodiment, the process chamber 11 includes a first temperature measurement device 26. The temperature inside the process chamber 11 is measured by providing a first temperature measuring device 26.

Specifically, the first temperature measuring device 26 may be any temperature measuring device as long as it can measure the temperature in the processing chamber 11. The first temperature measuring device 26 in this embodiment includes an infrared thermometer and a temperature measuring wafer, the temperature measuring wafer is installed on the top wall of the processing chamber 11 and is opposite to the upper surface of the seed crystal 1, and the infrared thermometer measures and monitors the temperature through the temperature measuring wafer.

In one embodiment, the cooling chamber 41 includes a second gas inlet for introducing a cooling gas into the cooling chamber 41. Through setting up the second air inlet and being used for letting in cooling gas in the cooling chamber 41 to realize the quick cooling to seed crystal 1, and avoid producing the pollution to seed crystal 1, be favorable to keeping seed crystal 1's cleanness.

Specifically, the second gas inlet is communicated with the cooling gas source 45 through a second pipeline, a second flowmeter is arranged on the second pipeline, and the cooling gas can be inactive gas such as nitrogen, argon, helium and the like.

In one embodiment, the cooling chamber 41 includes a second thermometric device 46. By providing the second thermometric device 46, the temperature within the cooling chamber 41 is measured.

Specifically, the second temperature measuring device 46 may be any temperature measuring device as long as the temperature inside the cooling chamber 41 can be measured, and may be, for example, a gas thermometer, a resistance thermometer, a thermocouple thermometer, or the like, but is not limited to the above temperature measuring devices.

In one embodiment, a heat insulation structure 27 is sleeved outside the crucible 13, and the heating unit 12 is arranged between the crucible 13 and the heat insulation structure 27. The heating unit 12 is arranged between the crucible 13 and the heat insulation structure 27, so that the crucible 13 is directly heated by the heating unit 12, and the heat utilization rate is improved; in addition, the heat insulation structure 27 can prevent heat from conducting outwards, and further reduces heat waste.

Specifically, the type of the heating unit 12 is not limited in this embodiment as long as the crucible 13 can be heated, and for example, the heating unit may be an induction coil, a resistance heating coil, or the like, but is not limited to the above heating method. Preferably, the heating unit 12 is a resistance heating coil.

Specifically, the turnover device further comprises a control unit, and the first power device 16, the second power device 18, the third power device 22, the fourth power device 23 and the turnover motor are all electrically connected with the control unit.

The working process is as follows: adjusting the temperature and pressure in the processing chamber 11 to the temperature and pressure required for preparing the seed crystal 1; firstly, controlling a first power device 16 to drive a turntable 17 to rotate so as to transfer a first loading part 15 to a storage unit, and controlling a manipulator 21 to transfer the seed crystal 1 to be processed placed on a storage rack to a loading support of the first loading part 15 so as to clamp the edge of the seed crystal 1 at a groove of the loading support; the rotating disc 17 continues to rotate to drive the first loading part 15 containing the seed crystal 1 to be processed to move to the position above the crucible 13, the step of the growth surface of the seed crystal is repaired or reconstructed, and when the step of the growth surface of the seed crystal is repaired or reconstructed, the lifting of the crucible 13 is controlled through the first power device 16, so that the distance between the liquid level of the molten component 14 in the crucible 13 and the growth surface of the seed crystal is controlled; in the process that the first loading part 15 moves towards the crucible 13, the second loading part 15 which is not loaded with the seed crystal 1 simultaneously moves towards the material storage unit under the driving of the rotary table 17, and when the first loading part 15 moves to the position above the crucible 13, the second loading part 15 moves to the material storage unit; in the process of repairing or reconstructing the seed crystal 1, the control mechanism controls the second power device 18 to drive the lifting platform 19 to lift and lower so as to drive the crucible 13 to be close to or far away from the growth surface of the seed crystal 1, meanwhile, the third power device 22 drives the storage bin 20 to move so as to move the storage rack containing the seed crystal 1 to the second loading part 15, and the fourth power device drives the mechanical arm 21 to continuously transfer the seed crystal 1 placed on the storage rack to the second loading part 15; when the steps of the growth surface of the seed crystal are repaired or finished, the first power device 16 drives the rotating disc 17 to rotate, then the first loading part 15 is driven to transfer the seed crystal 1 to the cooling cavity 41 from the upper part of the crucible 13, the seed crystal 1 is placed in the receiving bin under the action of the turnover motor, meanwhile, the second loading part 15 drives the seed crystal 1 to move to the upper part of the crucible 13, and the third loading part 15 moves to the storage unit to load the seed crystal 1.

According to the cyclic operation of the steps, when the required number of seed crystals 1 are collected in the receiving bin, stopping the first power device 16, the second power device 18, the third power device 22, the fourth power device 23 and the overturning motor, stopping heating the crucible 13, and stopping introducing gas into the processing chamber 11 through the first gas inlet; and starting a cooling gas source 45, and introducing cooling gas into the cooling chamber 41 through a second gas inlet so as to realize batch cooling of the seed crystals 1. And after the seed crystal 1 is cooled, taking out the seed crystal 1 in the material receiving bin to obtain the prepared seed crystal 1.

EXAMPLE 2 preparation of seed crystals

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, according to one embodiment of the present application, a method of preparing a seed crystal 1 using the apparatus of example 1 comprises the steps of:

1) charging: fixing the seed crystal to be treated above a crucible, loading raw materials into the crucible, and placing the seed crystal 1 and the crucible in a crystal treatment chamber;

2) removing impurities: the pressure in the crystal processing chamber is pumped to 10^-6Introducing inert gas to 300-500 mbar below mbar, and repeating the process at least twice;

3) seed crystal preheating: the pressure in the crystal processing chamber is pumped to 10^-6mbar belowHeating the raw material in the crucible to melt the raw material to form a molten component, adjusting the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid level of the molten component to be 10-100 mm, and preheating for 30-120 min;

4) repairing or reconstructing steps: introducing inactive gas into the crystal processing chamber, adjusting the pressure in the processing chamber to 20-40 mbar, adjusting the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid surface of the molten state component to 2-20 mm, and reacting for 2-50 min;

Seed crystals 1# -14#, D1# -D3# were prepared according to the above procedure, as shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1

EXAMPLE 3 characterization of seed crystals

The seed crystal prepared in example 2 was characterized, and the scratch condition, the step state, the doping concentration of the doping element, the TTV value, the BOW value, the Warp value, and the defect density were measured, and the measurement results are shown in table 2, in which the doping element is a reactive element other than carbon element and silicon element.

TABLE 2

As can be seen from the above table, by adjusting and combining the conditions in this embodiment, the atomic steps on the growth surface of the silicon carbide seed crystal can be repaired and reconstructed, and the step state can be freely controlled; in addition, the scratch on the surface of the seed crystal can be slightly repaired; therefore, compared with the traditional seed crystal, the seed crystal has complete step information and lays a foundation for the growth of the follow-up ultrahigh silicon carbide crystal.

In addition, as shown in fig. 4-5, fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of atomic step state on the surface of the seed crystal before treatment, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of atomic step state on the surface of the seed crystal after treatment, and the surface (0001) of the seed crystal before treatment is used as a growth surface, is damaged in the processing process, has no obvious step-like structure, and is particularly unfavorable for subsequent crystal growth; the repaired growth surface can establish an atomic step constructed by doping elements, and a good foundation is provided for subsequent stable nucleation and crystal growth; as shown in fig. 6-7, performing AFM characterization on the seed crystal 3# before repair and the seed crystal 3# after repair, and observing the step state of the growth surface of the seed crystal, wherein fig. 6 is the step state of the growth surface of the seed crystal damaged in the processing process, and fig. 7 is the step state of the growth surface of the seed crystal repaired by the method of embodiment 2, and it can be observed that the step of the growth surface of the seed crystal in fig. 5 is damaged in the processing process and has no obvious step; after the repair by the method of the embodiment 2, the steps of the growth surface of the seed crystal are clear and uniform, and can be restored to the original state before the damage.

EXAMPLE 4 preparation of silicon carbide single crystal

The seed crystals No. 1 to No. 14 and the seed crystals D1 to D3 prepared in the embodiment 2 are respectively grown in an existing crystal growing device by an existing crystal growing method, and the method comprises the following steps:

1) vacuum impurity removal: assembling growth raw materials and accessories and heating the furnace body in vacuum;

2) and (3) continuously heating: heating the furnace body to 1600 ℃ for preparation before nucleation;

3) and (3) nucleation: introducing inert gas (preferably argon gas and helium gas) into the furnace body, quickly boosting the pressure of the furnace body to 700mbar, and after the boosting is finished, raising the temperature to the nucleation point 2200 ℃, and stabilizing for 10 hours;

4) growing: reducing the pressure in the furnace body to 30mbar, and stably growing for 100h at 2300 ℃;

5) and taking out the crystal.

EXAMPLE 5 characterization of Single crystals

The single crystal prepared in example 4 was characterized, and its crystal form, TTV, BOW, Warp, polytype, dislocation, XRD half-peak width and resistivity were measured, and the results are shown in table 3.

TABLE 3

From the above table, it can be seen that: the silicon carbide crystal obtained by the seed crystal prepared by the method has high quality, and the width and the height of the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal can be regulated and controlled by changing the treatment conditions, so that the silicon carbide single crystal different from the seed crystal form is obtained, and more possibilities are provided for the growth regulation and control of the silicon carbide crystal.

The embodiments in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments are referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from the other embodiments. In particular, for the system embodiment, since it is substantially similar to the method embodiment, the description is simple, and for the relevant points, reference may be made to the partial description of the method embodiment.

The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for preparing seed crystals is characterized by comprising the following steps: repairing or reconstructing an atomic step of a seed crystal growth surface by adopting a gas phase formed by molten components;

2. The production method according to claim 1, wherein the reactive element is at least one selected from a metallic element and a metalloid element, wherein the metalloid element is boron, carbon, silicon, arsenic, selenium or tellurium;

preferably, the reactive element is selected from at least one of silicon, aluminum, boron, vanadium, gallium, scandium, titanium, chromium, manganese, cerium and praseodymium.

3. A method of preparing as set forth in claim 1 wherein the seed crystal is preheated at a first location, and thereafter adjusted to a second location, the seed crystal being brought proximate the surface of the molten composition such that the vapor phase of the molten composition sublimes to the growth surface of the seed crystal and forms a solid with at least one element in the seed crystal to repair or reconstruct the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal.

4. A producing method according to claim 3, wherein the time for adjusting said seed crystal from the first position to the second position is not more than 1200s,

preferably, the time for adjusting the seed crystal from the first position to the second position is 60 to 600s, and more preferably 120 s.

5. A method of preparing as claimed in claim 3 wherein when the seed crystal is in the second position, the sublimation rate of the molten state components is 0.01 to 1mL/s, preferably 0.05 mL/s; and/or

6. A producing method according to claim 3, wherein the preheating time of the seed crystal is 30 to 120min, preferably 60min, when the seed crystal is at the first position, and the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid surface of the molten state component is 10 to 100mm, preferably 20 mm; and/or

When the seed crystal is positioned at the second position, the time for repairing or reconstructing the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal is 2-50 min, preferably 30 min; and the distance between the growth surface of the seed crystal and the liquid level of the molten state component is 2-20 mm, preferably 5 mm.

7. The preparation method of claim 3, wherein after repairing or reconstructing the atomic step of the growth surface of the seed crystal at the second position, the seed crystal is cooled to the first temperature at the first cooling rate or naturally, and then is continuously cooled to the second temperature at the second cooling rate; wherein the first temperature is 400-600 ℃, the second temperature is 15-30 ℃, the first cooling rate is 0.05-0.15 ℃/s, and the second cooling rate is 0.8-1.6 ℃/s;

8. A production method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the seed crystal is a silicon carbide seed crystal, and the production method of the silicon carbide seed crystal comprises the steps of:

1) charging: fixing a seed crystal to be treated above a crucible, loading raw materials into the crucible, and placing the seed crystal and the crucible in a crystal treatment chamber; the raw materials comprise 30-45% of silicon element in molar fraction, and preferably 37%;

2) removing impurities;

9. A seed crystal produced by the production method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a silicon carbide seed crystal, wherein the growth surface of the silicon carbide seed crystal has an atomic step width of 50 to 1000nm and an atomic step height of 0.02 to 0.5 nm.

10. A single crystal produced from the seed crystal obtained by the production method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the seed crystal according to claim 9, comprising a silicon carbide single crystal.