Layer-by-layer growth of SiC at low temperatures

A novel reactor for layer-by-layer deposition of compound semiconductors has been designed and commissioned for the deposition of SiC. The substrates rested on a heated, rotating platform. They encountered individual fluxes of Si₂H₆ and C₂H₄ and subsequently paused beneath a hot filament. The filament was used to encourage the surface reaction between silicon adatoms and carbon precursors. Heteroepitaxial films were grown between 850 and 980 °C on Si(100) substrates oriented 3° off-axis toward 〈011〉. They were analyzed for composition, crystallinity, growth per cycle, and morphology using depth profiling Auger spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, ellipsometry and transmission electron microscopy. Growth, as measured by ellipsometry and transmission electron microscopy, corresponded to approximately one monolayer per cycle. Monocrystalline films were achieved. Initial growth and characterization results of representative films are presented and discussed.