Low-temperature silicon homoepitaxy by rf sputtering

We have shown that silicon homoepitaxial growth can be achieved by conventional rf diode sputtering at a low growth temperature (Ts∼400 °C). Spectroscopic ellipsometry and the electron channeling pattern are presented to show that the film deposited on a HF-treated substrate is a single-crystalline film while the film deposited without HF treatment is a polycrystalline film. Ar-discharge cleaning of the substrate is also found to greatly improve the surface morphology of the deposited films.