A comparative study of Ar and H-2 as carrier gases for the growth of SiC films on Si(100) by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition at low temperature

Electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) of SiC fil ms from silane and methane gas mixtures at low temperature has been investi gated using two different carrier gases, namely, argon and hydrogen. The re sults obtained are compared. The chemical composition and crystalline micro structure were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTI R) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM), respectivel y. The results indicate that the carrier gases have a greater influence on the film composition and microstructure as compared to the growth parameter s like pressure, power and flow ratio. The deposition mechanism which contr ols the film characteristics is also presented. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.