Growth of ZnO Epitaxial Films Using 3C-SiC Substrate with Buried Insulating Layer

Abstract

ZnO epitaxial films were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on novel large-diameter or 8-in. 3C-SiC substrate with a buried insulating layer whose structure is 3C-SiC/SiO2/Si. The substrate is fabricated by thinning the top Si layer of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, and then carbonizing the ultrathin top Si layer of the SOI substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) of the ZnO epitaxial films on a 3C-SiC substrate with a buried insulating layer revealed excellent characteristics of crystalline structure and luminescence. These results can be attributed not only to the 3C-SiC layer with a small lattice mismatch for ZnO but also to the buried insulating layer working as a compliant buffer layer. Thus, the 3C-SiC substrate with a buried insulating layer has advantages for growing high-quality ZnO epitaxial films owing to the small lattice mismatch and for fabricating ZnO epitaxial films inexpensively owing to Si technology.