β-SiC Formation by Low-Energy Ion-Doping Technique

β-SiC was prepared on silicon (Si) substrates by a low-energy ion-doping technique without mass separation. Carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) ions obtained from a discharge of diluted methane gas with hydrogen gas were implanted into Si substrates at the DC acceleration voltage of 3.0 kV. The dependence of carbon dose, dilution ratio and annealing temperature (T a) on the Si-C bond formation was investigated. Simultaneous implantation of H ions as well as C ions was effective for tight Si-C bond formation at low T a(<800°C). By annealing at high T a(>800°C), the β-SiC network was formed in the implanted layer. With increasing carbon dose, the amount of the β-SiC increased and was saturated at the dose of ∼4×1015 ions/cm2.