Materials Science Forum Vols. 778-780

Abstract: The effects of high-speed wafer rotation for 4H-SiC epitaxy in newly developed 150 mm vertical reactor is investigated by simulation analysis. The simulation model shows a good agreement with experimental results. It is revealed that a combination of high-speed wafer rotation as high as 1000 rpm and relatively high system pressure of 267 mbar is effective to reducing boundary layer thickness above the 4H-SiC wafer, and greatly enhances the epitaxial growth rates. The growth rate increase ~2 times using the combination of high-speed wafer rotation and relatively high system pressure.

Abstract: Chemical vapor deposition of silicon carbide (SiC-CVD) is a complex process involving a Si-C-H system wherein a large number of reaction steps occur. To simulate such a system requires knowledge of thermochemical and transport properties of all the species involved in the process. The accuracy of this information consequently becomes a crucial factor toward the correctness of the outcome prediction. The database on thermochemical properties of well-known species such as small hydrocarbons has been established over decades and it is accurate and easily accessible. On the other hand, the database for less frequently used species such as organosilicons is still under development. Apart from the accuracy issue, a consistency in acquiring procedures, whether theoretical or experimental, is another factor controlling the final error of the simulated outcome. In this work, the thermochemical data for several important growth species for SiC CVD using the SiH₄/C_xH_y/H₂ system has been calculated. For the most part an excellent agreement is seen with previously reported data, however for the organosilicons a larger deviation is detected and in particular for the CH₃SiH₂SiH species which shows a stark deviation from the CHEMKIN database.

Abstract: We report the development of over 100 μm/h growth rate process on 4-inch diameter wafers using chlorinated growth. The optimized growth process has shown extremely smooth epilayers completely free of surface step-bunching with very low surface defect density, high uniformity in thickness and doping and high run to run reproducibility in growth rate, controlled doping and defect density.

Abstract: We have developed the computer simulation including cluster effect and Schwoebel effect and investigated the conditions generating GSB using the simulation. We have demonstrated that the simulation developed can reproduce GSB. We have found for the occurence of GSB that there exists a threshold value of the surplus flux rate of Si-or C-source gases not contributing to growth, which depends on the flux rate of each source gas, namely the boundary between with and without GSB. It is noted that this boundary does not depend on the off-angle of substrates. We have also found the mechanism for explaining the occurrence of wavy surface morphplogy.

Abstract: This paper presents the results obtained after chemical vapor deposition of SiC with the addition of GeH₄ gas to the classical SiH₄+C₃H₈ precursor system. Epitaxial growth was performed either on 8°off-axis or on-axis 4H-SiC substrate in the temperature range 1500-1600°C. In the off-axis case, the layer quality (surface morphology and defect density) does not change though accompanied with Ge droplets accumulation at the surface. The Ge incorporation level was found to increase with temperature in the 10¹⁷ 10¹⁸ cm^-3 ranges. It was observed that adding GeH₄ leads to the increase of the n type doping level by a factor from 2 to 5 depending on the C/Si ratio. In the on-axis case, GeH₄ was only added to the gas phase before starting the SiC growth. It was found that there is a conditions window (temperature and GeH₄ flux) for which 3C-SiC twin free layers can be grown. Adding this foreign element before SiC growth clearly modifies SiC nucleation on on-axis substrate.

Abstract: The production of 150 mm-diameter SiC epitaxial wafers is the key to the spread of SiC power devices. We have developed production technology of the epitaxial growth for 4° off Carbon face (C-face) 4H-SiC epitaxial layers on 150 mm diameter substrates. Several growth parameters and hardware were optimized to obtain high uniformity wafers. We have succeeded in fabricating high quality C-face wafers with smooth surface and high uniformity.

Abstract: Gas etching and homoepitaxial growth on a nominally on-axis 2-inch 6H-SiC (0001) Si-face were studied. Regular steps with one unit cell height and complex pattern with facets and steps were observed after gas etching in the central region and edge region, respectively. The homoepitaxial growth shows that the complex (facets & steps) pattern expands and merges during the growth to bring on a rough epi-layer surface in the edge region. The steps with one unit cell height on the substrate split into steps with bilayers on the epilayer. The different lateral growth rates of <11-20>- and <1-100>-orientated steps make the width of steps orientated to <11-20> much larger than the ones orientated to <1-100>.

Abstract: We perform the first-principles calculations on the 4H-SiC(0001) surface and clarify the mechanism of the facet formation. We first identify atomic structures of single-, double- and quadribilayer steps and find that the single-bilayer (SB) step has the lowest total energy among these three step structures. Then, we reveal that the nanofacet consisting of SB steps is more energetically stable than the equally spaced SB step and the surface-energy variation caused by the difference of stacking sequences of the bi-atomic layer near the surface is an important factor of the facet formation.

Abstract: Homoepitaxial layers of 4H-SiC were grown with horizontal hot-wall CVD on 2˚ off-cut substrates, with the purpose of improving the surface morphology of the epilayers and reducing the density of surface morphological defects. In-situ etching conditions in either pure hydrogen or in a mixture of silane and hydrogen prior to the growth were compared as well as C/Si ratios in the range 0.8 to 1.0 during growth. The smoothest epilayer surface, together with lowest defect density, was achieved with growth at a C/Si ratio of 0.9 after an in-situ etching in pure hydrogen atmosphere.

Abstract: The addition of hydrogen chloride (HCl) to our conventional CVD process allows for high growth rates up to 50 μm/h while maintaining the step-flow growth mode. Such epilayers exhibit quite low total concentrations of point defects less than 2 x 10¹³ cm^-3. But, the HCl addition shows an ambivalent influence on the concentration of the lifetime killer defect Z_1/2. For low growth rates, the Z_1/2 concentration slightly decreases with increasing HCl addition. For higher growth rates, the Z_1/2 concentration increases with increasing HCl addition.