Epitaxial Growth of 3C–SiC(111) Thin Film on Si Wafer by Rapid Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition using Tetramethylsilane

We have used rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) technique to grow epitaxial SiC thin films on Si by pyrolyzing tetramethylsilane (TMS). The growth rate of the SiC film increases with the TMS flow rate and temperature, but it decreases with temperature in the case of higher TMS flow rate. The XRD spectra of the films indicate that the growth direction is along the (111) direction of β-SiC. IR and RBS measurements have been employed to analyze the chemical composition of the films. At 1100°C TMS is almost completely dissociated into Si atoms, CH₄ and C₂H₂ gases. The growth mechanism of the SiC films has been proposed based on the analyses of TEM and QMS.