PULSED-LASER DEPOSITION OF SILICON-CARBIDE AT ROOM-TEMPERATURE

The objective of this letter is to report on the successful deposition of SiC by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature. Deposition of SiC films is accomplished by ablating a 6H-SiC target, using the 248 nm radiation from a KrF* excimer laser. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data conclusively show that the films are silicon carbide. The Si 2p peaks are observed from a film at 100.3 eV, from a 6H-SiC standard at 100.3 eV, and from a Si standard at 99.7 eV. Similar scans of the C 1s peak reveal a shift in binding energy from 284.7 eV for a graphite standard, to 283.3 eV for a deposited film, and 283.4 eV for the SiC standard. Further, the integrated areas and shapes of the peaks from the film and the SiC standard are equivalent. Transmission electron microscopy reveals a film microstructure which is largely amorphous, but which contains a significant volume fraction of SiC crystallites. Analysis of the electron diffraction patterns indicates that the crystallites are beta-SiC. The relationship between the film microstructure and the energy contained within the laser-generated plume is also considered.