LOW-TEMPERATURE CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION OF 3C-SIC FILMS ON SI(100) USING SIH4-C2H4-HCL-H-2

The benefits of adding HCl on the low-temperature (1000 degrees C) epi taxial growth of 3C-SiC on Si(1 0 0) were examined. At either silicon rich (C/Si < 1) or carbon rich (C/Si > 1) inlet gas ratios, the SiC hi m composition approached stoichiometry by adding HCl, but only at an i nlet C/Si ratio of 1 was the composition of the SIC film approximate 1 .0 with a Cl/Si input ratio of 50. The structure of the films improved with the addition of HCl, confirmed by both X-ray diffraction and TEM . For epitaxial films, the FWHM of X-ray diffraction rocking curves de creased to 0.37 degrees or 1348 arcs with increasing Cl/Si to 50 at a C/Si ratio of 1. The him dislocation density was reduced from 1.1 x 10 (10) cm(-2) for a 2.0 mu m thick firm for a Cl/Si ratio of 0 to 4.27 x 10(9) cm(-2) for a 0.75 mu m thick film at a Cl/Si ratio of 50. The b enefits of adding HCl are attributed to the suppression of pure silico n nucleation and the reduction in growth rate. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.