Low Temperature Growth of the Nanotextured Island and Solid 3C-SiC Layers on Si from Hydric Si, Ge and C Compounds

Natalia L Ivina,Michail L Orlov,Eduard A Steinman,Lev K Orlov,Yurii N Drozdov,Vladimir I Vdovin

doi:10.3390/cryst10060491

Abstract

Different growth stages and surface morphology of the epitaxial 3C-SiC/Si(100) structures were studied. Heterocompositions were grown in vacuum from hydric compounds at a lower temperature. The composition, surface morphology and crystal structure of the 3C-SiC films were tested using X-ray diffraction, second ion mass spectrometry, scanning ion and electron microscopy, photo- and cathode luminescence. It was demonstrated that the fine crystal structure of the 3C-SiC islands was formed by the close-packed nanometer-size grains and precipitated on the underlying solid carbonized Si layer. Luminescence spectral lines of the solid carbonized Si layer, separated island and solid textured 3C-SiC layer were shifted toward the high ultraviolet range. The spectra measured by different methods were compared and the nature of the revealed lines was considered. This article discusses a quantum confinement effect observation in the 3C-SiC nanostructures and a perspective for the use of nanotextured island 3C-SiC layers as a two-dimensional surface quantum superlattice for high-frequency applications. The conductivity anisotropy and current-voltage characteristics of the two-dimensional superlattices with a non-additive electron dispersion law in the presence of a strong electric field were studied theoretically. Main efforts were focused on a search of the mechanisms allowing realization of the high-frequency negative dynamical conductivity for the structures having a positive static differential conductivity.

Highlights

There is a heightened interest to the cubic silicon carbide layers grown on silicon substrates due to the prospects of their use as a compositional element of high-speed silicon electronic devices, in the design and fabrication of highly efficient wide band gap emitters in silicon diodes [1,2]and heterotransistors [3,4], and for the application as a high-Q resonator and high-temperature pressureCrystals 2020, 10, 491; doi:10.3390/cryst10060491 www.mdpi.com/journal/crystalsCrystals 2020, 10, 491 sensors [5]
The main attention is focused on the investigation of the composition, microstructure, and surface morphology of the layers
The grain-oriented nanostructure of developing microislands and the effect of the surface strains on island shape and other morphological defects were demonstrated by us for the first time

Summary

Introduction

There is a heightened interest to the cubic silicon carbide layers grown on silicon substrates due to the prospects of their use as a compositional element of high-speed silicon electronic devices, in the design and fabrication of highly efficient wide band gap emitters in silicon diodes [1,2]and heterotransistors [3,4], and for the application as a high-Q resonator and high-temperature pressureCrystals 2020, 10, 491; doi:10.3390/cryst10060491 www.mdpi.com/journal/crystalsCrystals 2020, 10, 491 sensors [5]. Separate interest is associated with the general problem of creating ordered two-dimensional arrays of quantum nanodimensional objects (quantum dots) in bulk and on the surface of crystals, which are promising for various applications of micro- and nanoelectronics [6]. In this aspect, heteroepitaxial structures based on crystalline materials with strongly different lattice constants, which are in particular silicon and its diverse carbide phases, seem to be appealing because it is possible to form on their base various, often very specific, layered and island mono- and polycrystalline compositions involving nanoscale elements exhibiting non-trivial properties [7,8]

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