Growth of 3C-SiC on Si(100) by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition Using a Modified Four-Step Process

A modified four-step method has been developed to grow a void-free 3C-SiC film of high quality on Si(100) in a mixed gas of SiH4-C3H8-H-2 using low pressure chemical vapor deposition. A diffusion step was added after the carburization step in the traditional three-step method (clean, carburization, growth), and no cooling between each step was required. X-ray photoemission C 1s spectra support that the formation of SiC bonds can be greatly improved in the ascarburized Si(100) surface after diffusion at 1350 degrees C for 300 g. A thick 3C-SiC film of good crystal quality was grown on the as-diffused SiC layer during the growth step, confirmed by both X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction data. Hall effect measurements were used to characterize the electrical properties of SiC films. All the SiC films are n-type. The Hall mobility and carrier concentration of a SiC film of 1.5 mu m thick increase from 320 to 395 cm(2)/(V s) and from 1.6 x 10(17) cm(-3) to 2.7 x 10(17) cm(-2), respectively, when the diffusion step is added.