High vacuum chemical vapor deposition of cubic SiC thin ž / films on Si 001 substrates using single source precursor

Ž . Thin films of cubic SiC have been prepared on Si 001 substrates in situ by high vacuum metal-organic chemical vapor Ž . deposition HVMO-CVD method using a single source precursor at various growth temperatures in the range of 300]10008C. Ž . 1,3-Disilabutane, H Si-CH -SiH -CH DSB that contains the same amount of silicon and carbon atoms in the same molecule 3 2 2 3 Ž . was used as precursor without carrier gas. During HVMO-CVD, moreover, a series of as-deposited SiCrSi 001 thin films were Ž . simultaneously characterized by in situ X-ray photoelectron spectrometry XPS under the UHV condition without air exposure. Ž . XPS and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy RBS show that the SiC films grown at above 7008C have stoichiometric Ž . composition. However, the films grown at below 7008C show Si-rich stoichiometry. Transmission electron microscopy TEM confirms the crystalline nature of the SiC films. The optimum temperatures for the formation of the epitaxial 3C]SiC thin films were found to be between 900 and 10008C on the basis of XRD and TED analysis. In this study, the best film with maximum growth rate of 0.1 mmrh was obtained from a SiC film grown at 9008C and 8.7=10y4 Pa of DSB. The SiCrSi interface is clearly Ž . 13 shown in secondary ion mass spectroscopy SIMS depth profile as judged by the sharp decrease C signals. The thickness of the Ž . as-grown films was determined using cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy SEM and RBS, and two different activation energies for 3C]SiC formation were obtained from the Arrhenius plots. Q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.