Characterization of Si1-xCx:H thin films deposited by PECVD for SiCOI heterojuntion fabrication

Abstract

The SiC-on-insulator (SiCOI) heterojuntion is interesting for high temperature, high power, high frequency, smart-sensors, and micromechanical applications, due to the combined SiC and Si substrate advantages. In this work we investigate the properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide thin films (a-Si1-xCx:H) deposited by PECVD onto silicon and silicon covered with an insulator layer, before and after thermal annealing processing aiming crystallization of the deposited films. Due to their great interest for optoelectronic applications, four different insulator materials are investigated: high temperature (1100 ºC) thermal SiO2, low temperature (320 ºC) PECVD SiO2, SiOxNy, and Si3N4. The infrared absorption studies for as-deposited films show that films grown onto silicon covered with Si3N4 layer have a better coordination among Si and C atoms. Post-growth thermal annealing leads to the crystallization of the material for all the studied amorphous films. Raman measurements exhibited C-C bond vibration bands, after annealing, only for films deposited onto PECVD insulator. XRD results showed that films deposited on thermal-SiO2/Si(100) and Si(100) substrates have also a preferential (100) crystalline orientation, while films deposited on PECVD-insulator/Si(100) present a broad band associated with H-SiC(10L) and 3C-SiC(111) diffractions.