Studies of SiC formation on Si (100) by chemical vapor deposition

The reaction of Si (100) with C2H4 from a molecular beam source has been studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron-energy-loss spectroscopy, and Auger spectroscopy. Using these methods, we have studied the kinetics of SiC formation under conditions where no gas-phase excitation processes can contribute. At Si (100) temperatures below 940 K, a ‘‘Si-C alloy’’ forms on the surface; annealing to higher temperatures produces SiC exhibiting electron spectroscopic properties identical to SiC (0001). By studies of the characteristic bulk- and surface-plasmon-loss features in the SiC thin film, it has been shown that surface aggregation of bulk Si on top of the growing SiC film occurs at T≥940 K. Under optimum SiC growth conditions, C2H4 yields about 2×10−3 SiC units per C2H4 surface collision on Si (100).