In this work, the growth kinetics of silicon by Remote Plasma-enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (RPCVD) have been investigated. Growth rate has been characterized for temperatures ranging from 150°C to 480°C, r-f powers between 4 and 8 W, 5 -30 sccm of diluted (2%) silane flow, and 200 mTorr chamber pressure. The growth rate has been found to be relatively insensitive to silane partial pressure, indicating that dissociation of silane is not likely to be the rate limiting step. The activation energy for growth changes at -'325°C, and this is believed to be due to a change in the stable hydrogen termination of the silicon surface at this temperature. This implies that the rate limiting step for the reaction is hydrogen desorption. Growth rate dependence on substrate bias suggests that argon ions are responsible for driving the surface reactions.

Date Published: 1 October 1990
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 1285, Growth of Semiconductor Structures and High-Tc Thin Films on Semiconductors, (1 October 1990); doi: 10.1117/12.20806

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1285:
Growth of Semiconductor Structures and High-Tc Thin Films on Semiconductors
Anupam Madhukar, Editor(s)