PLASMA-ASSISTED CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION GROWTH OF SIC ON SI(100) - MORPHOLOGY AND ELECTRONIC-STRUCTURE

We have investigated the structure and the electronic properties of th in SiC films grown on Si(100) by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposi tion from CH4 diluted in H-2 It was found that the growth proceeds thr ough the nucleation of cubic and relaxed crystalline SIC islands prefe rentially oriented in the (100) direction. The average-island size inc reases with carbonization time up to a maximum size consisting of simi lar to 300 nm lateral width and similar to 100 nm height. We were able to determine the valence band discontinuity although the SIC overlaye rs were clusterlike End did not cover uniformly the Si substrate. The found value is 0.77+/-0.08eV. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society.