Sapphire single crystals have been highlighted for epitaxial of gallium nitride films in high-power laser and light emitting diode industries. Among the many crystal growth methods, vertical Bridgman process is an excellent commercial method for growing high quality sapphire crystals with c-axis. In this study, the thermally induced stress in Sapphire during the vertical Bridgman crystal growth process was investigated using a finite element model. A vertical Bridgman process of 2-inch Sapphire was considered for the model. The effects of vertical and transverse temperature gradients on the thermal stress during the process were discussed based on the finite element analysis results.
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