Highly conductive nitrogen-doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide thin films prepared with a hot-wire chemical vapor deposition from SiH4/CH4/H2/N2 gas

Abstract

Abstract Nitrogen-doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide (nc-3C-SiC:H) thin films were prepared with a hot-wire chemical vapor deposition from SiH 4 /CH 4 /H 2 /N 2 and the influences of the N 2 and H 2 gas flow rates on the structural and electrical properties were investigated. As the N 2 gas flow rate, F (N 2 ), was increased, the intake of the N atoms increased, resulting in the deterioration of the structural order of the nc-3C-SiC:H thin films. At a low H 2 gas flow rate, F (H 2 ), of 200 sccm, the conductivity increased with increasing F (N 2 ) up to 20 sccm and deteriorated with increasing F (N 2 ) of 20–50 sccm. The former was due to the increase in the intake of N atoms and the latter was due to the deterioration of the structural order. At a high F (H 2 ) of 1000 sccm, the degree of the deterioration of the structural order was low compared to that at F (H 2 ) of 200 sccm. The conductivity therefore improved even at high F (N 2 ) of 50–150 sccm. A high conductivity of 5.0 S/cm was achieved at F (N 2 ) = 100 and F (H 2 ) = 1000 sccm.