The dependency of void shape on Si surface orientation was investigated in the growth of silicon carbide (SiC) films on Si substrates. The orientation of the SiC films followed that of the Si substrate. In the silicon side of the SiC/Si interface, reverse-triangle-shaped voids were observed for the growth of SiC(100) on Si(100), whereas trapezoid-shaped voids were observed for the growth of SiC(111) on Si(111). The origin of the voids seemed to be the oxygen-relative defects inherently existing in bulk Si wafers. The shape of the voids was determined by that of the etch pit initially formed during the hydrogen etching process, which depends on the orientation of the silicon substrate. The mechanism of the void formation in the growth of SiC films on Si substrates was proposed based on the experimental results.

Formation mechanism of interfacial voids in the growth of SiC films on Si substrates

Formation of fiber texture in β-SiC films deposited on Si(100) substrates

Mass spectrometric study of gas-phase chemistry in a hot-wire chemical vapor deposition reactor with tetramethylsilane

Single crystal 3C-SiC films were grown on Si(111) substrate using tetramethylsilane [TMS,(CH3)4Si] in a low pressure radio frequency-induction heated chemical vapor deposition reactor. The growth rate of 3C-SiC film increased with increasing TMS flow rate and growth temperature. The growth kinetics of 3C-SiC film was determined by analyzing the experimental data on the growth rate. The growth reaction of 3C-SiC film was the first order of TMS partial pressure in the reactor. The reaction rate controlling step changed from the surface reaction in the temperature range of 1100–1250 °C to the diffusion of reactive gases at higher temperatures above 1250 °C. The activation energies were 72.2 kcal/min for the surface reaction-controlling step and 38.2 kcal/min for the diffusion-controlling step. At the growth temperatures, TMS was dissociated into hydrogen, Si atoms, and hydrocarbon gases such as CH3⋅, CH4, C2H2, and C2H4. The effective reactive species for the growth of 3C-SiC turned out to be gaseous Si atom...

Kinetic study of 3C-SiC growth on Si by pyrolyzing tetramethysilane in low pressure radio frequency-induction heated chemical vapor deposition reactor

Single crystal cubic SiC(100) thin films were grown on Si(100) from thermal cracking of tetramethylsilane (TMS) as a function of growth temperature reactor pressure, source gas flow rate, and Si/C atomic ratio in a radio frequency-inductive chemical vapor deposition reactor. The orientation of as-grown SiC films mostly followed that of the Si substrate. However, the growth of SiC( 111) was detected in the films grown at high TMS flow rates and high Si/C atomic ratios. The thickness of the SiC film was increased with the growth temperature, reactor pressure, TMS flow rate, and Si/C atomic ratio. Voids were formed in the silicon side of the SiC/Si interface, hut disappeared when the reactor pressure TMS flow rate, and Si/C ratio were increased. The formation of voids was attributed to the outdiffusion of Si atoms from the Si substrate. The stresses and strains generated in the grown films were also investigated in terms of the growth conditions. The formation mechanism of voids at the SiC/Si interface was discussed on the basis of the experimental observations.

Mechanistic Study and Characterization of 3C-SiC(100) Grown on Si(100)

We have used a rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition technique to grow epitaxial SiC thin films on Si wafers by pyrolyzing tetramethylsilane (TMS). The films were observed to grow along the (111) direction of 3C–SiC at temperatures above 1000 °C. The quality of the films was significantly influenced by the TMS flow rate in the gas mixture, the growth temperature, and the gas pressure in the reactor. Single-crystal SiC films were grown at TMS flow rates below 1.0 sccm with a H2 carrier gas flow rate of 100 sccm. The gas pressure in the reactor has a great influence on the crystallinity, morphology, and thickness of the SiC film grown. Gas phase analyses indicated that TMS dissociates into hydrogen, silicon atoms, and hydrocarbons such as CH4, C2H2, and C2H4 at the growth temperature. The chemical composition of the grown films was analyzed. The growth mechanism of the SiC film on the Si substrate without the carbonization process is discussed based on the experimental results.

K. S. Nahm

Papers

Growth mechanism of 3c-sic(111) films on si using tetramethylsilane by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition