Effects of ion beam irradiation on the crystallization of Si–C films

Abstract

Radiation effects of 2 MeV Ar + ions on the crystallization of Si–C films were investigated with RHEED and XPS. The carbon films deposited on Si(1 0 0) at 300 K were amorphous. Under ion irradiation, the carbon films thinner than 2 nm reacted with silicon substrates and amorphous SiC films were formed at ambient temperature (<400 K). The SiC films were grown epitaxially by further ion irradiation. The epitaxial relationship between the SiC film and the substrate was (1 0 0) SiC//(1 0 0) Si and [0 0 1] SiC//[0 0 1] Si. The surface of the carbon films thicker than 2 nm was grown to the turbostratic graphite by ion irradiation. The thickness-ion dose dependence of the film structure was presented.