Behaviors of Carbon at Initial Stages of SiC Film Grown on Thermally Oxidized Si Substrate

A silicon carbide film is grown on a thin-SiO2 layer/Si substrate by means of hydrogen plasma sputtering of a SiC target. Behaviors of the C atoms at the initial stages of the film growth are studied by depth-profile analysises and the elemental C maps for the obtained sample. The results indicate that the C atoms adsorb easily on the defective regions of the SiO2 layer. Under the conditions of the SiO2 layer thickness of 18 nm and the substrate temperature of 750°C, the adsorbed C atoms diffuse into the Si substrate through the defective regions, and the SiC phase is formed by the reaction with the substrate Si in an island region in the substrate.