Papers by Keyword: Chloride-Based CVD Growth

Abstract: Some aspects of the chloride-based CVD growth process have been investigated by using both the approach to add HCl to the standard precursors or/and by using the single molecule precursor methyltrichlorosilane (MTS). The efficiency of the process for different precursors, the growth rate stability and the effect that the Cl/Si-ratio has on the growth have been studied. MTS is showed to be the most efficient precursor; the growth can be hindered by to much chlorine in the gas mixture. The Cl/Si-ratio is also found to be a process parameter that affects the amount of incorporated nitrogen in the epilayers.

Abstract: CVD growth of epitaxial layers with a mirror like surface grown on 75 mm diameter 4° off-axis 4H SiC substrates is demonstrated. The effect of the C/Si ratio, temperature and temperature ramp up conditions is studied in detail. A low C/Si ratio of 0.4 and a temperature of 1530 °C is the best combination to avoid step bunching and triangular defects on the epitaxial layers. Using a low growth rate (about 3 µm/h) 6 μm thick, n-type doped epilayers were grown on 75 mm diameter wafers resulting in an RMS value of 0.7 nm and good reproducibility. 20 μm thick epitaxial layers with a background doping in the low 1014 cm-3 were grown with a mirror-like, defect-free surface. Preliminary results when using higher Si/H2 ratio (up to 0.4 %) and HCl addition are also presented: growth rate of 28 μm/h is achieved while keeping a smooth morphology.

Abstract: The chlorinated precursor methyltrichlorosilane (MTS), CH3SiCl3, has been used to grow epitaxial layers of 4H-SiC in a hot wall CVD reactor, with growth rates as high as 170 µm/h at 1600°C. Since MTS contains both silicon and carbon, with the C/Si ratio 1, MTS was used both as single precursor and mixed with silane or ethylene to study the effect of the C/Si and Cl/Si ratios on growth rate and doping of the epitaxial layers. When using only MTS as precursor, the growth rate showed a linear dependence on the MTS molar fraction in the reactor up to about 100 µm/h. The growth rate dropped for C/Si < 1 but was constant for C/Si > 1. Further, the growth rate decreased with lower Cl/Si ratio.

Abstract: The homoepitaxial chloride-based CVD growth is demonstrated on Si-face on-axis 4H-SiC substrates. The use of chloride-based CVD has allowed growth of 100% 4H-SiC epitaxial layers with a growth rate of 20µm/h, thus about seven times higher than with standard precursors. It was also found that chlorine etches preferentially the 3C-SiC inclusions that tends to nucleate on Si-face on-axis substrates. Therefore the Cl/Si ratio is a fundamental process parameter to optimize.