Preparation of Microcrystalline Silicon Carbide Films by Hydrogen-Radical-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Using Tetramethylsilane

In this paper, hydrogen-radical-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HRCVD) is presented with the purpose of depositing microcrystalline silicon carbide (µc-SiC) films at a low temperature. As a source gas, tetramethylsilane (TMS) was used. Furthermore it is explained that TMS was decomposed by hydrogen radicals generated with microwave plasma, and the excess methyl radicals were extracted from the film-growing surface. Properties of µc-SiC film have been examined with the aid of infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy, electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA), and reflective high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED).