Single Crystal Epitaxial Growth of β-SiC for Device and Integrated Circuit Applications

ABSTRACTBeta SiC is an important semiconductor whose development has been slowed by synthesis difficulties. The physical and electronic properties which make β-SiC desirable for high speed and high power electronics are discussed, with special emphasis on field effect transistor (FET) applications. A history of synthesis efforts is presented to illuminate the obstacles encountered in the growth of semiconductor device quality P-SiC. A new approach to single crystal epitaxy of β-SiC, using TiC as a substrate, is described. The properties of TiC which make it a uniquely suitable substrate for β-SiC epitaxial growth are discussed, and procedures used to prepare TiC surfaces for β-SiC epitaxy are described. The growth process employed at our laboratory, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), is described, and experimental observations of the effects of the CVD growth environment on β-SiC epitaxial growth are presented. Based on these observations, we propose to synthesize β-SiC in a singlesource reaction, using molecules which decompose directly to SiC units. This contrasts with current approaches, which introduce Si and C separately, in molecules which must decompose and subsequently react to form SiC.