THE EFFECT OF CH4 ON CVD BETA-SIC GROWTH

The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method for β-SiC growth in the methyltrichlosilane (MTS) and hydrogen system was carried out above 1450°C in order to obtain a perfect crystal. In this article, a CVD method for growing β-SiC films on a graphite substrate was carried out by adding CH4 to the MTS-H2 gas system. The CH4 not only decreased the deposition temperature, but also influenced the morphology, crystallographic properties, and growth mechanism of β-SiC deposits. Although β-SiC (cubic) was the main phase in the film, α-SiC (hexagonal or rhombohedral) was also found. The CVD SiC film was examined by means of x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). © 1990, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.