Selective Silicon Epitaxy and Orientation Dependence of Growth

Silicon was grown epitaxially on oxidized silicon substrates in which the oxide was removed over selected areas. Both planar substrates and etched pedestals standing above the substrates were used. (110) oriented substrates had the highest growth rates, followed by (100), (115), and (111). (110) also had the grown surfaces with best planarity. Pattern displacement was very noticeable on (115) substrates. Alignment of the patterns with major crystal axes had a significant influence on the growth perfection. Some of the experimental observations can be explained by surface energy considerations.