Initial stage for heteroepitaxy of 3C-SiC on the Si(001) surface in dimethylgermane source molecular beam epitaxy

By the use of dimethylgermane [(CH3)(2)GeH2:DMGe], a Si clean surface can be carbonized reproducibly at as low as 650 degrees C in a gas source molecular beam epitaxy. The initial stage for heteroepitaxy in the 3C-SiC/Si system has been studied with time resolved in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analysis. A RHEED pattern from a carbonized layer indicates single-crystalline 3C-SiC without any 3C-SiC twin spots and Ge-related patterns. An activation energy of about 51.1 kcal/mol is obtained in the initial stage of 3C-SiC growth. The successive growth of 3C-SiC layers formed with DMGe is also discussed. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.