Ion beam deposition of β-SiC layers onto α-SiC substrates

Abstract

Thin films of β-SiC have been grown epitaxically on 6H α-SiC substrates by direct deposition of alternating layers of 13C + and 30Si +. The carbon and silicon ions were obtained from an ion implanter by decelerating mass-analyzed ion beams down to 40 eV. The substrate was held at 700°C during growth. Rutherford backscattering and high resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques have been used to determine the composition and structure of the resulting β-SiC layer and the nature of the interface. This is the first reported use of the ion beam deposition technique to grow β-SiC films and demonstrates the capability of using alternating beam deposition to prepare compound structures.