Cubic Single-Crystalline Si[sub 1−x−y]C[sub x]N[sub y] Films with Mirror Face Prepared by RTCVD

Abstract

This paper reports the growth of single-crystalline silicon carbon nitride (Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y ) films on crystal silicon substrate using C 3 H 8 for carbon source by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition ͑RTCVD͒. Based on the scanning electron microscope analysis, the Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y films are smooth on the surface and at the Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y /Si interface, which is important for device applications. A model to explain the growing mechanism of the Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y film is being proposed.Silicon carbon nitride (Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y ) film has attracted much attention because of its interesting characteristics and wide range of promising applications. 1 The crystalline Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y possesses several physical properties such as hardness, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance that can compete with those of cubic boron nitride. A recent study of Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y compounds shows potential applications for blue or ultraviolet optoelectronic and high temperature microelectromechanical system ͑MEMS͒. 1,2 In the past, the fabrications of Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y films by reactive magnetron sputtering, ion implantation, and plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition have been reported. 1,3-5 However, these methods grow either rod-shaped crystals, mixtures of crystalline and amorphous, or pure amorphous Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y films. No smooth surface morphology and uniform crystalline structure, which are important for applications in high voltage or high temperature electronic devices, have been found.In this study, a cubic single-crystal Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y (c-Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y ) film has been successfully synthesized, for the first time, using C 3 H 8 as the carbon source in a rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition ͑RTCVD͒ system under a wide variety of deposition conditions. The C 3 H 8 gas is selected for the purpose of low cost and the wide utility in industrial manufacture. Moreover, the RTCVD system is adopted for its capability of rapid temperature increases and higher temperature that provide the absorbed pieces a higher surface mobility to form a smoother interface and better microstructure. 6 In addition, Auger electron spectroscopy ͑AES͒, scanning electron microscopy ͑SEM͒, and transmission electron microscopy ͑TEM͒ are employed to characterize the composition and the structure of the films. Based on the analysis, a mechanism of growing cubic structure c-Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y film is being proposed. Fabrication and MeasurementThe Si 1ϪxϪy C x N y films were grown on Si͑100͒ wafers with resistivity of 4-10 ⍀ cm, using a homemade RTCVD system with horizontal fused quartz tube as furnace. The heat source is ultraviolet ͑UV͒ halogen lamps with high energy density. The temperature of the substrate is measured by an optical pyrometer. After chemical cleaning, the substrates were immediately loaded into the reaction tube, and then the system was pumped down to about 10 Ϫ7 Torr. Then follows the process sequence as illustrated in Fig. 1 to deposit the films; ͑A͒ The substrates were held at 900°C for 10 min to remove native oxide la...

A comparative study of lateral SiCN/porous silicon and vertical SiCN/porous silicon junctions for sensing ultraviolet light

“…Generally, the phosphorus-doped SiCN alloys has a concentration of $1 Â 10 19 cm À3 , and its composition is dependent on the carbon source used [21]. In this work, C 3 H 8 was used as the carbon source, and obtained the alloy composition as Si 0.48 C 0.15 N 0.37 in base of the Auger Electron Spectroscopy measurements.…”

“…A more detailed description for growing c-SiCN and subsequent material characterizations can be found in elsewhere [19][20][21].…”

Poly- and single-crystalline h-GaN grown on SiCN/Si(100) and SiCN/Si(111) substrates by MOCVD

“…7 After being cleaned, the substrates were immediately loaded into the reaction tube, and the system was pumped down to about 10 À7 torr. We then followed the reported process 7 to deposit the SiCN films, i.e., substrate temperature, 1150-1200°C; 80 sccm, flow rate of each gas (C 3 H 8 , NH 3 , and SiH 4 ); and 2 mtorr, reactor pressure.…”

“…[2][3][4][5] In our laboratory, we have recently used C 3 H 8 , NH 3 , SiH 4 , and H 2 as source gases to grow a cubic single-crystalline SiCN layer by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) and successfully used it in a deep-ultraviolet detector. 6,7 Because the lattice constant of cubic SiCN is similar to that of SiC(111), we attempted to use SiCN as a buffer layer for growing GaN on Si substrates. Furthermore, the SiCN grown by RTCVD has a lattice constant of ;4.36 Å , which is only 4% mismatched to the GaN 7 and could be a good buffer layer for growing GaN on top of Si substrates.…”

The contact characteristics of SiCN films for opto-electrical devices applications

“…7,8 After cleaning, the substrate was immediately loaded into the reaction tube, and the system was pumped down to about 10 Ϫ7 torr. During growth, the substrate was held at 900°C for 10 min to remove native oxide layers on the surfaces first.…”