Solution growth of silicon carbide using unary chromium solvent

•Large SiC solubilities in quasi-binary Cr-SiC system were measured.•SiC solubilities was reproduced using a sub-regular solution model.•Rapid growth of SiC of 720 µm/h at 1803 K was obtained by unary Cr solvent.•SiC growth rates were proportional to solubility difference of carbon.

Solution growth of silicon carbide (SiC) using unary chromium (Cr) solvent was studied because the system enables a high solubility difference and a low degree of supersaturation, which would lead to rapid growth with a stabilized growth interface. The liquidus composition at SiC saturation in a quasi-binary Cr-SiC system was studied at 1823-2173 K. The measured carbon (C) contents are in good agreement with the thermodynamic evaluation using the sub-regular solution model. In addition, growth experiments using a unary Cr solvent were performed by the bottom-seeded travelling solvent method. The obtained growth rates at 1803-1923 K with a temperature difference of 15-70 K were proportional to the solubility difference between the seed and source temperatures, indicating that the growth was controlled by the mass transfer of C in the solution. The maximum growth rate of 720 µm/h at 1803 K was much higher than the growth rate by Si-rich solvents, suggesting that the Cr-rich solvent is suitable for the rapid growth at a low temperature.