Interfacial differences between SiO2 grown on 6H-SiC and on Si(100)

Oxides grown on p-type 6H-SiC and on Si(100) were studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and sputter depth profiling to determine what differences exist between the two systems. The oxide on SiC is found to be stoichiometric SiO2 , but the oxide is structurally different from the oxide grown on Si(100). We propose that strain introduced during processing accounts for the structural differences. We also found that Si atoms at the SiO2/SiC interface are chemically different from Si atoms in the bulk of SiC and a number of possible explanations for this are given. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)03510-X].