X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of Si-C film growth by chemical vapor deposition of ethylene on Si(100)

The growth of a thin film of SiC grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of ethylene on Si(100) at 970 K was studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The growth of the film was observed through the behavior of the Si(2p) and C(1s) core levels and their plasmon losses. A 1.2-eV (towards higher binding energy) shift is observed for the Si(2p) binding energy between silicon in Si(100) and silicon in SiC. The plasmon loss energies measured as a function of film thickness below the C(1s) emission indicate that the C/Si ratio of the Si-C film throughout the CVD process is fairly constant.