Oxygen partial pressure dependence of the SiC oxidation process studied by in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry

Abstract

The oxygen partial pressure dependence of the Silicon carbide (SiC) oxidation process was investigated using in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry at oxygen partial pressures between 1 and 0.02 atm for 4 H-SiC (0001) Si- and (000−1) C-faces. Analyses of the interface structure between the oxide and SiC indicate that the interface layer has a modified SiC-like structure around 1 nm thick accompanied by oxide growth; the structure and thickness do not change after an oxide growth of about 7 nm. The oxide thickness dependence of the growth rate at sub-atmospheric oxygen pressures is similar to that at 1 atm pressure, that is, just after oxidation starts, the growth rate rapidly decreases as the oxidation proceeds. After an oxide growth of about 7 nm thick, the deceleration of the growth rate suddenly changes to a gentle slope. The thickness at which deceleration changes depends slightly on both the oxygen partial pressure and surface polarity of the SiC substrate. The origins of these two deceleration stages, i.e., rapid and gentle decelerations, are discussed from their pressure dependencies based on the SiC oxidation model taking into account the interfacial emission of Si and C atoms. The formation and structures of the interface layers are also discussed in relation to the oxidation mechanisms.