We found that a carbon additive could Suppress the unfavorable generation of polycrystals in a crucible without reduction in the yield of GaN in the Na flux method. The suppression of polycrystals due to the effect of carbon significantly increased the growth rate of liquid phase epitaxy (LPE), which has been the biggest problem of the Na flux LPE, and enabled an increase in the growth rate above 20 mu m/h. A 3 mm-thick 2 in GaN crystal was obtained for the first time. In addition, the carbon additive was found to have another effect in that the nonpolar face could be widely developed. SIMS measurements revealed that carbon added into a Ga-Na mixed melt was hardly taken into LPE crystals, although carbon did have some favorable effects. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.