Effect of Reduced Pressure on 3C‐SiC Heteroepitaxial Growth on Si by CVD

The difference between atmospheric pressure (AP)CVD and low pressure (LP)CVD in 3C‐SiC heteroepitaxial growth on Si(001) surfaces has been investigated. It is found that the difference in the growth mode results in a difference in the secondary nucleation rate. It is suggested that the increase of the secondary nucleation rate causes 2D island growth on {111} faces, and that these 2D islands play an important role in the process of elimination of planar defects. A simulation of the homogeneous chemical reaction in the gas phase suggests that the origin of the difference in the secondary nucleation rate can be attributed to the difference in the mole fraction of atomic hydrogen.