The invention discloses a
silicon nitride crystal based on a physical vapor transport method and a preparation method thereof, and the preparation method comprises the following steps: laying
silicon nitride powder as a
raw material at the bottom of a
graphite crucible, fixing a
seed crystal on a top cover of the
crucible, placing the device in
single crystal growth equipment, vacuumizing, heating to 1000-1300 DEG C, filling
nitrogen to 800-1000 mbar, and preserving heat for 1-3 hours, the method comprises the following steps of: heating to the temperature of between 1,600 and 2,000 DEG C, inhibiting the
decomposition of
silicon nitride, continuously heating to the temperature of between 1,600 and 2,000 DEG C, adjusting the air pressure in equipment to 100 to 300 mbar, and promoting the
silicon nitride to be decomposed into silicon steam and
nitrogen. And controlling the temperature of a
seed crystal area to be 1500-1700 DEG C and the axial
temperature gradient to be 10-50 DEG C / cm, so that Si and N substances in a
gas phase are crystallized on the surface of the
seed crystal to generate a
silicon nitride crystal. And after the
crystal grows, filling
inert gas and slowly cooling to
room temperature to finally prepare the complete
silicon nitride crystal. The preparation method disclosed by the invention is accurate in process and high in crystal quality, and the prepared silicon nitride crystal has the particle size of more than 500 microns and the purity of more than 5N, and is suitable for the field of application of high-end materials.