Fully planar method for creating adjacent ‘‘self-isolating’’ silicon-on-insulator and epitaxial layers by epitaxial lateral overgrowth

Abstract

A novel and simple process is demonstrated for creating isolated silicon-on-insulator (SOI) tubs adjacent to selective epitaxial substrate layers. The process results in a fully planar wafer surface which is uniquely suited for mixed bipolar/complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor device fabrication. Low-temperature epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) using SiH2Cl2/HCl/H2 is carried out in a reduced-pressure chemical vapor deposition reactor to create SOI islands in thermally grown SiO2 valleys. SOI islands and epitaxial seed regions are ‘‘self-isolated’’ by chemical-mechanical planarization. The as-grown ELO is single-crystal material with well-defined facets. Planarized SOI and epilayer regions have planar, featureless surfaces. Defect etching for the nonoptimized SOI layers indicates about 5×104 stacking faults/cm2.