Post-growth rapid thermal annealing effect on hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin film

Abstract

Abstract The post-growth rapid thermal annealing (RTA) effect on hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin films was investigated. The thin films were prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on silicon substrate. Nearly stoichiometric polycrystalline 3C-SiC films were obtained from the Si-rich amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide films after RTA in a vacuum at 1300°C, which appeared statistically oriented with a self-aligned orientation along the (100) plane, but without obvious epitaxial relation with respect to the orientation of the Si substrate. Very low concentration of multiphase carbon was detected in the same film. Raman scattering and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the existence of diamond nanocrystallites, sp3 and sp2 bonded amorphous carbon. However, no graphite was found in this film. The result indicates that the diamond nucleation is easier/earlier than that of graphite in the high temperature RTA process on amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide thin films.