Low-temperature epitaxial growth of Si by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition

We report on a study of low-temperature epitaxy at 325 degreesC on Si(100), (111), (311), and (011) by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor dep osition (ECR-CVD) with a growth rate of 10-12 nm/min. Epitaxial films grown on Si(100) exhibit a well-defined and smooth interface and a well-ordered lattice structure up to a layer thickness of more than 300 nm. Beyond a cri tical thickness of approximately 500 nm we observe a slow transition from t he crystalline to the amorphous state by the formation of isolated conicall y shaped amorphous regions. At a thickness of 1.6 mum only 10-15% of the su rface consist of these amorphous cones. The critical epitaxial thickness h( epi) depends on the crystallographic orientation of the substrate decreasin g in the sequence h(epi)(100) much greater than h(epi)(311) > h(epi)(111) > h(epi)(011). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.