The Influence of Surface Preparation on the Properties of SiC on Si(111)

Abstract

The silicon (111) surface was converted into silicon carbide by using: 1. propane diluted in hydrogen and rapid thermal processing, 2. elemental carbon deposited onto the silicon surface by solid source molecular beam epitaxy and subsequent annealing, i.e. conversion in a hydrogen poor environment, 3. modification of the silicon surface by Ge predeposition prior to elemental carbon deposition. These methods were compared according to their influence on the structure, morphology and electronic properties of the SiC/Si(111) heteroepitaxial system. It was found that the conversion in a hydrogen rich environment leads to the formation of a carbon () silicon carbide face, whereas a silicon (111) silicon carbide face was formed under hydrogen poor conditions. Germanium predeposition led to an improvement of the structural morphological and electrical properties of the silicon carbide–silicon heteroepitaxial system.