Fine-tuning of the interface in high-quality epitaxial silicon films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 200 °C

High-quality epitaxial silicon thin films have been deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at 200 °C in a standard radiofrequency (RF) PECVD reactor. We optimized a silicon tetrafluoride (SiF₄) plasma to clean the surface of <100> crystalline silicon wafers and without...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: MARIO MORENO MORENO
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:México
Institución:Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica
Repositorio:Repositorio Institucional del INAOE
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:inaoe.repositorioinstitucional.mx:1009/2320
Acceso en línea:http://inaoe.repositorioinstitucional.mx/jspui/handle/1009/2320
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:info:eu-repo/classification/Inspec/High-quality
info:eu-repo/classification/Inspec/Epitaxial silicon
info:eu-repo/classification/Inspec/Standard radiofrequency
info:eu-repo/classification/cti/1
info:eu-repo/classification/cti/22
info:eu-repo/classification/cti/2203
Descripción
Sumario:High-quality epitaxial silicon thin films have been deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at 200 °C in a standard radiofrequency (RF) PECVD reactor. We optimized a silicon tetrafluoride (SiF₄) plasma to clean the surface of <100> crystalline silicon wafers and without breaking vacuum, an epitaxial silicon film was grown from SiF₄, hydrogen (H₂), and argon (Ar) gas mixtures. We demonstrate that the H₂/SiF₄ flow rate ratio is a key parameter to grow high-quality epitaxial silicon films. Moreover, by changing this ratio, we can fine-tune the composition of the interface between the crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer and the epitaxial film. In this way, at low values of the H₂/SiF₄ flow rate ratio, an abrupt interface is achieved. On the contrary, by increasing this ratio we can obtain a porous and fragile interface layer, composed of hydrogen-rich microcavities, which allows the transfer of the epitaxial film to foreign substrates.