Epitaxial growth of β-SiC on Si by RTCVD with C3H 8 and SiH4

The authors established that β-SiC thin films can be grown epitaxially on (100) Si substrates by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) employing carbonization with C₃H₈ , as well as post-carbonization growth using SiH₄ and C ₃H₈ in H₂. They determined the optimum carbonization conditions with respect to reaction temperature and ramp rate, gas flow rates, etc. A possible mechanism, based on nucleation density and Si surface diffusion, has been proposed for the effect of C ₃H₈ flow rate in film thickness, morphology, and void formation. Void-free SiC films have been grown on Si at high C₃H₈ flow rates. The authors determined the optimum conditions for subsequent SiC growth with respect to temperature and Si/C ratio in the gas phase. They established that the resulting SiC thin films are monocrystalline by X-ray and electron diffraction. The SiC-Si interface was investigated by cross-section transmission electron microscopy and found to be sharp and intimate where no voids are present