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

Abstract

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, but 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. © 2001 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.