SiC formation on Si(100) via C60 precursors

The interaction between C₆₀ molecules and the Si(100) surface and the preparation of silicon-carbide thin films by thermal reaction of C₆₀ molecules with the Si(100) surface have been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction and atomic force microscopy measurements. The effects of annealing temperature and C₆₀ coverage on the SiC formation will be discussed. It is found that the C₆₀ molecules bond covalently with silicon, and the number of bonds increase upon increasing the annealing temperature. Annealing at T≥830°C entails the formation of stoichiometric silicon carbide clusters that coalesce to form a continuous SiC layer when the C₆₀ coverage is greater than one monolayer. Deep pits acting as silicon diffusion channels are present with dimensions that increase with the amounts of C₆₀.

The interaction of C₆₀ with the SiC surface was also investigated. It is found that a similar covalent interaction is present in the two systems C₆₀/Si and C₆₀/SiC.     

XPS investigation of electron beam effects on a trimethylsilane dosed Si(100) surface

A trimethylsilane covered Si(100) surface at temperature −120°C was bombarded by 1.3 keV electrons for various time intervals. The core level Si2p and C1s electrons were studied after each electron bombardment by use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spontaneous dissociation of TMSiH on the Si(100) surface was observed judging from the formation of C---C bonds. The C---C and C---Si bonds increased initially and then saturated after 20 min of electron exposure. The binding energy of C1s in C---C and C---Si bonds and that of Si2p in Si---C bonds showed an opposite behavior under electron irradiation. The former increased and the latter decreased at the beginning of the irradiation and then both increase rate and decrease rate reduced. From the previous results of electron stimulated desorption and temperature programmed desorption, and the variation of electron density distribution around C and Si, it is concluded that the de-hydrogenation in C---H_n and Si---C---H_m bonds was induced and new Si---C and C---Si bonds were formed by electron irradiation on TMSiH covered Si(100) surface.     

Trench formation in surfactant mediated epitaxial film growth of Ge on Si(100)

We have used STM to study the surface morphology of thin epitaxial Ge films grown on Si(001) in the presence of the surfactant As. The surfactant forces layer-by-layer growth up to 12 ML Ge coverage which could partly be explained by the geometrical surface arrangement of the growing film. Beyond 12 ML coverage we observed a network of trenches which decorate the earlier described V-shaped defects inside the film. Overgrowth of such defects is studied and a mechanism discussed.     

Multi-wafer 3C—SiC heteroepitaxial growth on Si(100) substrates

<正>Epitaxial growth of semiconductor films in multiple-wafer mode is under vigorous development in order to improve yield output to meet the industry increasing demands.Here we report on results of the heteroepitaxial growth of multi-wafer 3C-SiC films on Si(100) substrates by employing a home-made horizontal hot wall low pressure chemical vapour deposition(HWLPCVD) system which was designed to be have a high-throughput,multi-wafer(3×2-inch) capacity. 3C-SiC film properties of the intra-wafer and the wafer-to-wafer including crystalline morphologies,structures and electronics are characterized systematically.The undoped and the moderate NH3 doped n-type 3C-SiC films with specular surface are grown in the HWLPCVD,thereafter uniformities of intra-wafer thickness and sheet resistance of the 3C-SiC films are obtained to be 6%~7%and 6.7%~8%,respectively,and within a run,the deviations of wafer-to-wafer thickness and sheet resistance are less than 1%and 0.8%,respectively.     

Micropipes and voids at β¨SiC/Si(100) interfaces: an electron microscopy study

 The microstructure of β-SiC/Si(100) interfaces generated by carbonization and subsequent growth in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Differently prepared cross section and planar specimens allowed a detailed characterization of interface defects. Besides pyramidal voids, which were frequently reported to appear at SiC/Si interfaces within the substrate, recently discovered micropipes are of special interest. Both kinds of defects form by outdiffusion of silicon during the carbonization process. In contrast to voids. which initially remain empty, micropipes develop by simultaneous ingrowth of SiC. The area densities of micropipes were found to be orders of magnitude higher than those of voids. Micropipe formation may be due to a high density of SiC nuclei preexisting on the substrate surfaces after pretreatments. The simultaneous development of voids and micropipes is discussed on the basis of results obtained from a short-time carbonization experiment. Received: 26 August 1996/Accepted: 20 September 1996     

Effect of high-energy electron beam irradiation on the surface morphology of CaF2/Si(100) heterostructures

The effect of high-energy electron beam irradiation on the surface morphology of CaF₂ films in the course of molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(100) substrates is studied by atomic-force microscopy. It is shown that not only do morphological defects significantly change their shape in the electron beam spot, but also their average height more than doubles.     

Electronic structure and electron dynamics at Si(100)

The electronic structure and electron dynamics at a Si(100) surface is studied by two-photon photoemission (2PPE). At 90 K the occupied D_up dangling-bond state is located 150±50 meV below the valence-band maximum (VBM) at the center of the surface Brillouin zone ̄ and exhibits an effective hole mass of (0.5±0.15)m_e. The unoccupied D_down band has a local minimum at ̄ at 650±50 meV above the VBM and shows strong dispersion along the dimer rows of the c(4×2) reconstructed surface. At 300 K the D_down position shifts comparable to the Si conduction-band minimum by 40 meV to lower energies but the dispersion of the dangling-bond states is independent of temperature. The surface band bending for p-doped silicon is less than 30 meV, while acceptor-type defects cause significant and preparation-dependent band bending on n-doped samples. 2PPE spectra of Si(100) are dominated by interband transitions between the occupied and unoccupied surface states and emission out of transiently and permanently charged surface defects. Including electron–hole interaction in many-body calculations of the quasi-particle band structure leads us to assign a dangling-bond split-off state to a quasi-one-dimensional surface exciton with a binding energy of 130 meV. Electrons resonantly excited to the unoccupied D_down dangling-bond band with an excess energy of about 350 meV need 1.5±0.2 ps to scatter via phonon emission to the band bottom at ̄ and relax within 5 ps with an excited hole in the occupied surface band to form an exciton living for nanoseconds. PACS 73.20.At; 79.60.Bm; 79.60.Dp; 79.60.Ht     

Impurity Effects on Nucleation and Growth of SiC Clusters and Layers on Si(100) and Si(111)

Physics of the Solid State - A kinetic Monte Carlo model of silicon carbide growth on silicon surface is proposed. Based on this model, the growth of silicon carbide clusters on silicon in the...     

Formation of graphene on amorphous SiC film by surface-confined heating with electron beam irradiation

It is demonstrated experimentally that graphene can form on the surface of an amorphous SiC film by irradiating electron beam (e-beam) at low acceleration voltage. As the electron irradiation fluency increases, the crystallinity and uniformity of graphene improve, which is confirmed by the changes of the measured Raman spectra and secondary electron microscopy images. Due to the shallow penetration depth of e-beam with low acceleration voltage, only the region near the surface of SiC film will be heated by the thermalization of irradiated electrons with multiple scattering processes. The thermalized electrons are expected to weaken the bond strength between Si and C atoms so that the thermal agitation required for triggering the sublimation of Si atoms decreases. With these assistances of irradiated electrons, it is considered that graphene can grow on the surface of SiC film at temperature reduced substantially in comparison with the conventional vacuum annealing process.     

AFM study of a SiC film grown on Si(1 0 0) surface using a C2H4 beam

A 3C-silicon carbide (SiC) thin film grown on a Si(1 0 0) surface using an ethylene (C₂H₄) molecular beam has been studied by atomic force microscopy. At the center of the irradiation area of the ethylene beam, the shape of the SiC islands was rectangular, the average length of which was 74.5 nm and the average height was 13.1 nm. Each SiC island consists of the SiC particles with the average diameter of 17 nm. Just inside of the boundary region of the beam irradiation, the average size and height of the islands decreased to 50.1 and 8.2 nm, respectively. Just outside of the boundary region, the average size and height decreased to 17.7 and 5.1 nm, respectively. The average reaction probabilities at the above three points were estimated to be 0.14, 0.27 and 2.7%, respectively. New growth mode of the crystal growth is proposed (particles gathering island mode).     

SiC film growth on Si(111) by supersonic beams of C 60

The development of electronic devices based on Silicon Carbide (SiC) has been strongly limited by the difficulties in growing high quality crystalline bulk materials and films. We have recently elaborated a new technique for the synthesis of SiC on clean Si substrates by means of supersonic beams of C₆₀: the electronic and structural properties of the film can be controlled by monitoring the beam parameters, i.e. flux and particles energy and aggregation state. SiC films were grown in Ultra High Vacuum on Si(111)-7×7, at substrates temperatures of 800 ^° C, using two different supersonic beams of C₆₀: He and H₂ have been used as seeding gases, leading to particles energy of 5 eV and 20 eV, respectively. Surface characterisation was done in situ by Auger and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy, as well as by low energy electron diffraction and ex situ by atomic force microscopy technique. SiC films exhibited good structural and electronic properties, with presence of defects different from the typical triangular voids. Received 20 November 2001     

Terahertz surface plasmon excitation over a bismuth thin film by an electron beam

The excitation of terahertz surface plasma wave (SPW) over bismuth thin film-glass structure by a parallel propagating electron beam is studied. The SPW phase velocity is sensitive to the thickness of bismuth film and it is driven via the Cerenkov resonance. The growth rate for terahertz radiation generation by an electron beam is obtained under small signal approximation.     

Epitaxial growth of GaN on Si (100)/sapphire (0001) using RF plasma-assisted ionized source beam epitaxy

A new approach to epitaxial GaN growth utilizing radiofrequency plasma-assisted ionized source beam epitaxy (PAISBE) is described. To facilitate the reaction between Ga and atomic nitrogen, the Ga beam was partially ionized and accelerated. The reactive atomic nitrogen flux was obtained from an RF discharge nitrogen plasma with controllable power and frequency. A grid was placed at the exit end of the plasma tube to prevent N _inf2 ^up+ from hitting the substrate. The growth parameters were chosen to systematically investigate the effects of Ga-beam ionization and grid bias. The crystal quality of the PAISBE-grown GaN was analysed by RHEED and x-ray diffraction. The FWHM of a 0.4-m-thick GaN epilayer grown with ionized Ga beam and RF nitrogen plasma with 140W power was measured to be 25 min at (0002) diffraction peak. This and other preliminary data from the present study indicate that PAISBE is a promising technique for GaN growth.     

Tunneling electron induced bromine hopping on Si(100)-(2 x 1)

Tunneling electrons from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope can be used to induce adatom hopping on Br-terminated Si(100)-(2x1) at low current and without voltage pulses. Hopping does not occur when electrons tunnel from a sample to a tip. The threshold energy is +0.8 V, and tunneling spectroscopy shows antibonding Si-Br states 0.8 eV above the Fermi level. Electron capture in these states is a necessary condition for hopping, but repulsive adsorbate interactions that lower the activation barrier are also required. Such interactions are strong near saturation for Br but are insufficient when the coverage is low or when Br is replaced by Cl.     

Tuning of ripple patterns and wetting dynamics of Si (100) surface using ion beam irradiation

Ripple patterns on Si (100) surface have been fabricated using 200 keV Ar⁺ oblique ion beam irradiation. Dynamical evolution of patterns is studied for the fluences ranging from 3 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm² to 3 × 10¹⁸ ions/cm². AFM study reveals that the exponential growth of roughness with stable wavelength of ripples up to higher fluence values is lying in the linear regime of Continuum models. Stylus Profilometer measurement was carried out to emphasize the role of sputtering induced surface etching in ripple formation. Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy shows the incorporation of Ar in the near surface region. Observed growth of ripples is discussed in the framework of existing models of surface patterning. Role of ion beam sputtering induced surface etching is emphasized in formation of ripples. In addition, the wetting study is performed to demonstrate the possibility of engineering the hydrophilicity of ripple patterned Si (100) surface.     

A molecular beam study of alkali promotion of O2 sticking on Ge(100) and Si(100)

The alkali (Cs) promotion of O₂ sticking on Si(100) and Ge(100) has been studied by a molecular beam scattering method. In the curves of initial sticking probabilities versus alkali coverages, a threshold coverage for the alkali promotion is found around 0.2 ML. It is suggested that the appearance of the threshold coverage is a result of an abrupt change in the electronic state of the adatom from ionic to covalent or metallic bond with the substrates. For Ge(100) the alkali promotion is further increased as the incident energy is decreased, while an opposite trend is observed in Si(100). Alkali promotion effect on the physisorption-migration mediated process is discussed.