The growth of aluminum nitride (AlN) bulk crystals by sublimation of an AlN source requires elevated temperatures, typically in a range of 1800-2300 degrees C. These temperature requirements, combined with the chemically aggressive nature of the Al vapor, severely limit the choice of reactor hot-zone materials, and most notably, the selection of reaction crucibles. Aside from refractory elements, potentially promising compound materials include refractory nitrides, carbides, and borides. In this work, TaC crucibles were fabricated using a binderless sintering process and were tested in AlN bulk growth experiments. Elemental analysis of crystals grown in these crucibles revealed extremely low Ta contamination, below the analytical detection limit of 1 ppm by weight and C contamination levels as low as 50 ppm by weight; C contamination likely originated from sources unrelated to the crucible material. Crucibles were re-used in several consecutive growth runs; average crucible lifetimes exceeded 200 h at growth temperatures exceeding 2200 degrees C. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.