3C-SiC Epitaxial Layers Research Articles

Surface morphology of 3C–SiC layers grown on 4H–SiC substrates using TCS as silicon precursor

The hetero-epitaxial growth of 3C–SiC layers on on-axis 4H–SiC substrates has been demonstrated in a hot-wall CVD reactor using trichlorosilane and ethylene as precursors. The additional chlorine is supplied by hydrogen chloride for variation of Cl/Si ratio. The influence of temperature, C/Si ratio and Cl/Si ratio process parameters on the morphology is studied. Double-position-boundaries free 3C–SiC epitaxial layers have been successfully grown at the optimized condition, which is at a temperature of 1340 °C, with C/Si = 0.6 and Cl/Si = 6 using a carbon-rich pretreatment. Low temperature near bandgap photoluminescence shows a good optical property of the obtained 3C–SiC epitaxial layers. Compared to the standard chemistry, a higher growth rate of 12 μm/h could be achieved by utilizing the chlorinated precursors. This study provides a feasible way to grow double-position-boundaries free 3C–SiC epitaxial layers using TCS as silicon precursor.

Fabrication of SiC-on-Insulator (SiCOI) Layers by Chemical Vapor Deposition of 3C-SiC on Si-in-Insulator Substrates at Low Deposition Temperatures of 1120 °C

Compared to bulk silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, SiC-on-insulator (SiCOI) substrates enable new device designs of electronic switches as well as novel photonic applications. One application is a micro-resonator for the usage in a Kerr frequency comb. For SiCOI substrates, a deposition temperature below 1200 °C is advisable due to stability reasons of the buried oxide layer during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process conditions. To create 3C-SiC-on-insulator layers, a cold-wall CVD reactor was utilized, with propane and silane as the sources for carbon and silicon, respectively. To improve the cracking of the carbon source gas at low temperatures, the inner setup of the utilized cold-wall CVD reactor was changed to a non-water-cooled system. The change of the inner reactor setup was investigated numerically, and the grown epitaxial layers were characterized by Raman, EDX, SEM-imaging and XRD spectroscopy. We demonstrate successful deposition of 3C-SiC epitaxial layer substrates at temperatures below 1200 °C without delamination on SOI.

CVD growth of 3C-SiC layers on 4H-SiC substrates with improved morphology

Chloride-based CVD growth of 3C-SiC epitaxial layers on on-axis 4H-SiC substrates has been studied using chloromethane and silane as precursors. Hydrogen chloride is utilized as additional chlorine source. Process parameters, such as growth temperature, C/Si ratio, Cl/Si ratio and temperature ramp-up condition, are investigated. Smooth 3C-SiC layers without DPB defects on the surface could be obtained with optimized process at a growth rate of 14 μm/h. Low temperature photoluminescence measurement shows sharp near bandgap emission, which verifies the good optical properties of the epitaxial layer. The growth window is wide in this process by using chlorinated precursors compared to the standard chemistry.

Correlation between Q-Factor and Residual Stress in Epitaxial 3C-SiC Double-Clamped Beam Resonators

In this work, we investigate the correlation between tensile residual stress and Q-factor of double-clamped beams fabricated on epitaxial 3C-SiC layers grown on both <100> and <111> silicon substrates, using a completely optical measurement setup to measure the Q-factor of the resonators and the residual stress of the layers by means of purposely designed micromachined test structures. From the measurements, a clear correlation appears between the residual stress of the SiC layer and the Q-factor of the resonators, with Q-factor values above half a million for resonators fabricated on <111> substrates, showing residual stress around 1 GPa.

Formation of epitaxial 3C-SiC layers on Si by rapid vacuum thermal processing

The results of a study of the structure and phase composition of epitaxial layers of silicon carbide (SiC) formed on silicon substrate with orientation (100) under rapid vacuum thermal processing are presented. Planar-view transmission electron microscopy investigation revealed the formation of epitaxial layers of cubic polytype SiC (3C-SiC) on silicon in the process of carbidisation at 1100 °C during 30 s, using a gas mixture of propane (10 %) and argon (90 %) as a carbon source. The formation of a monocrystalline 3C-SiC with polycrystalline inclusions and twins on all possible planes {111} was found. A rather narrow band of 793 cm–1 transverse optical phonon mode SiC on Raman spectra confirms the formation of a cubic polytype SiC. It is noted that the presence of a 180 cm–1 spectral line and a 793 cm–1 half-width band on Raman spectra indicate the presence of deformation defects in SiC.

Effect of N and Al Doping on 3C-SiC Stacking Faults

This study offers a comprehensive examination of the behavior of 3C-SiC crystals grown on 4° off-axis (100) Si substrates with different off-axis angles along <110> and <100> for N and Al doping, respectively. The investigation takes advantage of molten KOH etching to conduct an in-depth investigation of the average density and size of the SFs inside the crystal for both n- and p-type doped 3C-SiC epitaxial layers. Moreover, 3C-SiC grown on a <100> off-cut substrate was revealed to have a greater concentration of SFs due to the absence of self-annihilation along the plane (-1-10). Considering two different doping ranges suitable for IGBTs and MOSFETs development, the impact of doping and off-angle on the crystal quality, concentration, and length distribution of SFs was then investigated in order to quantify the influence of N and Al incorporation on the structural and optical characteristics of the semiconductor. It turned out that under heavy nitrogen doping (~1019 cm-3), when the dopant concentration grew, the average length of the stacking faults (SFs) expanded while their density dropped.

Microscopic origins of anisotropy for the epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC (0001) vicinal surface: A kinetic Monte Carlo study

In order to investigate the microscopic evolution of the step flow growth process and reveal the microscopic origins of crystalline anisotropy during the epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC (0001) vicinal surface, a three-dimensional Kinetic Monte Carlo model is established, in which Si and C are considered individually. The helicoidal boundary condition is applied to the direction perpendicular to the step, and the periodic boundary condition is used in the direction along the step. Then, the effects of crystalline anisotropy on lateral growth rate, morphologies of step patterns, and growth mode are studied. The results show that the lateral growth rate in [1−210] is larger than that in ⟨1−100⟩, and the zigzag and meandering patterns of step are constructed in [1−210] and ⟨1−100⟩ directions, respectively, which is consistent with the experimental observations. Two possible origins of anisotropy are also revealed: one is the higher concentration of the edge sites of the step and the larger bonding energy in the [1−210] direction and another is the adatom diffusion along the edge of the step. Finally, a larger area of pure step flow growth mode is obtained in the [1−210] direction, which is good for lowering the cost for 3C-SiC epitaxial layers.

Anomalous Properties of the Dislocation-Free Interface between Si(111) Substrate and 3C-SiC(111) Epitaxial Layer.

Thin films of single-crystal silicon carbide of cubic polytype with a thickness of 40–100 nm, which were grown from the silicon substrate material by the method of coordinated substitution of atoms by a chemical reaction of silicon with carbon monoxide CO gas, have been studied by spectral ellipsometry in the photon energy range of 0.5–9.3 eV. It has been found that a thin intermediate layer with the dielectric constant corresponding to a semimetal is formed at the 3C-SiC(111)/Si(111) interface. The properties of this interface corresponding to the minimum energy have been calculated using quantum chemistry methods. It has turned out that silicon atoms from the substrate are attracted to the interface located on the side of the silicon carbide (SiC) film. The symmetry group of the entire system corresponds to P3m1. The calculations have shown that Si atoms in silicon carbide at the interface, which are the most distant from the Si atoms of the substrate and do not form a chemical bond with them (there are only 12% of them), provide a sharp peak in the density of electronic states near the Fermi energy. As a result, the interface acquires semimetal properties that fully correspond to the ellipsometry data.

3C-SiC growth by sublimation in vacuum technology optimization

Results of an epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC epilayers on hexagonal 6H-SiC, 4H-SiC substrates are described. The study of the obtained epitaxial layers grown on 6H substrates was made by photoluminescence and optical microscopy. Also, an image analysis of the interface of 3C-SiC epitaxial layers with 6H, 4H, and 15R substrates obtained by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) are presented. Difference between the layers on the Si and C faces are discussed.

Investigation of the Influence of Structural Defects on the PL Spectra in n-3C-SiC

The photoluminescence spectra were studied in 3C-SiC / 4H-SiC heterostructures and single crystals of 3C-SiC. It was shown that 3C-SiC epitaxial layers grown on 4H-SiC substrates have significantly less structural perfection than 3C-SiC single crystals. It was found that doping with aluminum leads to the appearance of characteristic photoluminescence (PL) both in the epitaxial layers and in 3C-SiC single crystals. At the same time, the irradiation of the epitaxial layers does not lead to the appearance of “defective PL (DFL), as is observed for single crystals. It was suggested that the twin boundaries existing in 3C-SiC epitaxial layers could serve as getters of radiation defects that are components of donor – acceptor pairs (DAP) responsible for DFL.

Characterization of 4H- and 6H-Like Stacking Faults in Cross Section of 3C-SiC Epitaxial Layer by Room-Temperature μ-Photoluminescence and μ-Raman Analysis.

We report a comprehensive investigation on stacking faults (SFs) in the 3C-SiC cross-section epilayer. 3C-SiC growth was performed in a horizontal hot-wall chemical vapour deposition (CVD) reactor. After the growth (85 microns thick), the silicon substrate was completely melted inside the CVD chamber, obtaining free-standing 4 inch wafers. A structural characterization and distribution of SFs was performed by μ-Raman spectroscopy and room-temperature μ-photoluminescence. Two kinds of SFs, 4H-like and 6H-like, were identified near the removed silicon interface. Each kind of SFs shows a characteristic photoluminescence emission of the 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC located at 393 and 425 nm, respectively. 4H-like and 6H-like SFs show different distribution along film thickness. The reported results were discussed in relation with the experimental data and theoretical models present in the literature.

Epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC (111) on Si via laser CVD carbonization

ABSTRACTA qualitative and quantitative study was performed on the carbonization temperature (TC) and carbonization time (tC) with respect to the microstructure and growth rate (Rg) of a 3C-SiC epitaxial layer on Si (111) substrates by carbonization via laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD). The results showed that the density and size of the voids depended strongly on TC. The voids were sealed, and thin films were formed continuously and uniformly after a carbonization time of 6 min at TC = 1200 °C. Rg was also dependent on TC, and increased from 0.43 to 1.35μm·h−1 with increases in TC from 1000 to 1200 °C. These deposition rates are 10 to 100 times greater than those of observed for conventional CVD methods.

A Study of the Influence Exerted by Structural Defects on Photoluminescence Spectra in n-3C-SiC

Photoluminescence (PL) spectra have been studied in 3C-SiC/4H-SiC heterostructures and 3C‑SiC single crystals. It was shown that epitaxial 3C-SiC layers grown on 4H-SiC substrates have a markedly poorer crystal perfection than do 3C-SiC single crystals. It was found that doping with aluminum gives rise to a characteristic PL both in epitaxial layers and in 3C-SiC single crystals. At the same time, the electron irradiation of epitaxial layers does not give rise to defect-related PL, in contrast to what is observed for single crystals. An assumption is made that the twin boundaries existing in epitaxial 3C-SiC layers can serve as getters of radiation defects that are components of donor–acceptor pairs responsible for the “defect-related” PL.

Investigating positive oxide charge in the SiO2/3C-SiC MOS system

This paper investigates the origin of the fixed positive oxide charge often experimentally observed in Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) structures of SiO2 formed on cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC). The electrical properties of MOS structures including either thermally grown SiO2 or deposited SiO2 by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) on epitaxial 3C-SiC layers grown directly on Si are investigated. MOS structures with a range of oxide thickness values subjected to different thermal treatments were studied. It was found that both thermally grown and deposited SiO2 on 3C-SiC exhibit similar positive charge levels indicating that the charge originates from interface states at the 3C-SiC surface and not from the oxide. The nature of this surface charge in the SiO2/3C-SiC system is also discussed based on the current data and previously published results.

Fabrication of quasi-superlattices at the interface between 3C-SiC epitaxial layer and substrates of hexagonal SiC polytypes by sublimation epitaxy in vacuum

Transmission electron microscopy has been used to study the structure of a transition layer between a hexagonal substrate (6H-SiC and 4H-SiC) and a cubic silicon carbide layer grown by sublimation epitaxy in vacuum. It is shown by microdiffraction analysis that the transition layer with a thickness of 210 nm is constituted by alternating layers of cubic (3C) and hexagonal (6H) silicon carbide. It is demonstrated that 6H-SiC/3C-SiC and 4H-SiC/3C-SiC quasi-superlattices can be produced by this method.

A step-by-step experiment of 3C-SiC hetero-epitaxial growth on 4H-SiC by CVD

To investigate the growth mechanism of hetero-epitaxial SiC, a step-by-step experiment of 3C-SiC epitaxial layers grown on 4H-SiC on-axis substrates by the CVD method are reported in this paper. Four step experiments with four one-quarter 4H-SiC wafers were performed. Optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the morphology of the epitaxial layers. It was previously found that the main factor affecting the epilayer morphology was double-positioning boundary (DPB) defects, which normally were in high density with shallow grooves. However, a protrusive regular “hill” morphology with a much lower density was shown in our experiment in high-temperature growth conditions. The anisotropic migration of adatoms is regarded as forming the morphology of DPB defects, and a new “DPB defects assist epitaxy” growth mode has been proposed based on the Frank-van der Merwe growth mode. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to examine the polytypes and the quality of the epitaxial layers.

High Quality 3C-SiC (111) Epitaxial Layer on Si (110) Substrate by Using Si<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>6</sub>+C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>

The 3C-SiC (111) layer has been grown on Si (110) substrate by using hexachloro-disilane (HCDS) and propane. The propane flow rate was controlled in the carbonization step and the growth step for obtaining SiC layer with high crystal quality. The high quality epitaxial 3C-SiC (111) layer was successfully grown at growth temperature of 1280°C and lower propane flow rate condition. Grown 3C-SiC epitaxial layers were systematically analyzed by an optical microscope, Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM and XRD

Electrical Properties Evaluation on High Quality Hetero-Epitaxial 3C-SiC(001) for MOSFET Applications

The effect of the crystal quality and surface morphology on the electrical properties of MOS capacitors has been studied in devices manufactured on 3C-SiC epitaxial layers grown on Silicon (100) substrate. The interface state density, which represents one of the most important parameters for the 3C-SiC MOSFET development, has been determined through capacitance measurements. A cross-correlation between High Resolution X-ray Diffraction, AFM analysis and electrical conductance measurements has allowed determining the relationship between the crystalline quality and the interface state density. By improving the crystalline quality, a decrease of the interface state density down to 1010 cm-2 eV-1 was observed.

Interface state density evaluation of high quality hetero-epitaxial 3C–SiC(001) for high-power MOSFET applications

Abstract The effects of the crystal quality and surface morphology on the electrical properties of MOS capacitors have been studied in devices manufactured on 3C–SiC epitaxial layers grown on silicon (1 0 0) substrate. The interface state density, which represents one of the most important parameters, has been determined through capacitance measurements. A cross-correlation between high resolution X-ray diffraction, AFM analysis and electrical conductance measurements has allowed to determine the relationship between the crystalline quality and the interface state density. A decrease of the interface state density down to about 1011 cm−2 eV−1 was observed with improving the crystalline quality.

The influence of pressure on growth of 3C-SiC heteroepitaxial layers on silicon substrates

3C-SiC epitaxial layers were grown on on-axis (100)- and (110)-oriented silicon substrates in a RF heated horizontal hot-wall CVD reactor. We focused on the relationship between the pressure used during carbonization growth and the crystalline quality of obtained layers. A comprehensive analysis of the surface morphology of the 3C-SiC carbonization layer was performed, after which two pressure values guaranteeing top crystalline quality were determined. The carbonization layer with the lowest surface roughness was obtained at around 20mbar, while for 30mbar, the surface roughness was slightly worse but more homogenous. To sum up, we successfully grew 1.5µm thick 3C-SiC layers on silicon substrates with both orientations using the said pressure conditions.