State-of-the-art and prospective progress of growing AlN substrates by physical vapor transport

SiC, GaN, diamond, and AlN known as wide band-gap semiconductors, integrate the advantages of microelectronics, optoelectronics, and power electronics. The ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor AlN crystal has a direct bandgap of 6.1 eV at room temperature. AlN has led to a burgeoning research interest in the fabrication of devices due to its outstanding structure and fascinating physiochemical (microelectronics, optoelectronics and power-electronics, etc.) properties. In this review, we summarize some recent advances in growing physical vapor transport AlN substrates. First, we introduce the primary seed growth of AlN using two disparate growth strategies: on heterogeneous substrate and spontaneous nucleation. We then elaborate on their advantages and disadvantages for subsequent homogeneous growth. Second, we highlight ultramodern advances that have been made in the preparation of high-quality and large-size AlN substrates, discuss the optical properties of AlN. In the end, the current challenges and new opportunities for PVT grown AlN substrates in improving the quality are also discussed.