4H-SiC Epitaxial Layer Grown on 150 mm Automatic Horizontal Hot Wall Reactor PE106

Abstract

Preliminary results of 150mm SiC 4H 4°off have been obtained with the new 150mm automatic horizontal hot wall reactor PE1O6, using chlorinated chemistry (SiHCl3 + C2H4). A new injection system has been tested in two configurations and results will be shown in this paper. AFM surface roughness measurements and epi defect density have been reported.

Mechanisms of growth and defect properties of epitaxial SiC

“…Epitaxial growth of high-quality SiC with uniform thickness and doping concentration is an essential technology for developing any kinds of SiC devices. [8][9][10][11][12] Although fundamental technology of 4H-SiC homoepitaxy on off-axis SiC(0001) substrates has been almost established, there still exist several important challenges in 4H-SiC homoepitaxy. Such challenges include homoepitaxy on nearly on-axis substrates, [13][14][15] epitaxial growth on the C face, 16,17 fast and thick epitaxy, [18][19][20][21] reduction of extended, 22 point-like defects, 23 and so on.…”

“…Events in the KLMC are precursor transport to the surface, adatom adsorption, diffusion, and desorption from the surface, growth, and etching reactions between adatom and lattice atoms, and evaporation. The model allows predicting h111i plane faceting seen in b-SiC and the hexagonal structures seen when growing on a-SiC or the different step velocity between [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and [1-100] step-directions. Finally, the model was used to investigate step bunching finding a possible origin in the growth rate variability of [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] directions and the hexagonal stacking content in the a-SiC polytype.…”

“…16, bottom panel shows the Si to C bonds as seen from the [0001], or h111i, zone axis. Depending on the orientation of the miscut and on the polytype (cubic or hexagonal), each atom on the step can have either two bonds (either parallel, 3C [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10], or misaligned, 4H [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] with respect to the steps) or one bond (3C [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]) or a periodic mix of both (all hexagonal polytypes with miscut along ). This leads to different step kinetics and, because of this, different final step morphologies.…”

“…Note, in this respect, that 'on-axis' substrate, being slightly (<0.5 ) off-axis with uncontrolled miscut direction could lead to different post-growth surface morphologies under equal growth conditions. 142 For hexagonal polytypes, instead, we can have either straight bunched steps for miscut towards the direction and zig-zag ones for miscut towards the [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] direction (which is the standard used one (Fig. 18)).…”

“…143,144 These same features have been found in the simulated final morphologies. 54,63 It was further compared the simulated surface roughness of the cubic 3C[-110] and hexagonal 4H [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] forms of SiC in the same deposition conditions.…”