Effects of plasma hydrogenation on low temperature growth of nanocrystalline cubic SiC thin films

The effects of plasma hydrogenation on the fabrication of nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide (SiC) thin films on Si (100) are investigated. Our results indicate that plasma hydrogenation is an effective method to reduce the deposition temperature and to improve the composition and microstructure of the cubic SiC (β-SiC) thin films. In particular, the crystal particle size and the oxygen diffusion can be controlled. The mechanism is discussed.