Journal of Applied Physics · 1991 · 108 citations · 10 references
Natural SciencesMaterials EngineeringMaterials ScienceMaterials ChemistrySurface ChemistryThin FilmsSemiconductor InterfacesSemiconductor SurfacesSilicon MaterialsSurface AdsorptionSurface PhysicsSurface ReactivityCompositionFilm Growth MechanismsHydride FormationHydrogen Embrittlement KineticsSecondary Ion Mass SpectrometrySticking ProbabilitySurface GrowthThin-film Growth Mechanisms
Growth rates for Si1−xGex films (0≤x≤0.19) have been measured between 610–750 °C using low pressure H2/SiH4/GeH4 mixtures and at different temperatures these rates show different dependencies on composition x. A model attributes this complex behavior to competition between an increasing rate for desorption of surface hydrogen and a decreasing sticking probability for the reactive hydrides as x increases. The latter effect is explicitly reported for the first time. GeH4 is found to be ∼4.7 times more reactive than SiH4, and relative surface hydrogen coverages on Si and Si0.87Ge0.13 films measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy are compared with the model.
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