Formation of <111> fiber texture in β-SiC films deposited on Si(100) substrates

The evolution of the morphology and the texture of 3C-SiC films grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using 1,3-disilabutane as precursor, on Si(100) substrates is investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Films were found to exhibit a columnar grain structure with a strong <111> fiber texture and a high density of stacking faults and twins. The columnar grains do not originate at the substrate surface but on a buffer layer about 3 to 5 nm thick, consisting of interconnected 3D-islands that initiate as epitaxial nuclei. The change from <100> epitaxial islands to <111> columnar grains can be understood in terms of anisotropic growth rates and multiple twinning. The observed <111> fiber texture, faulted substructure, faceted surface morphology and carbon enrichment of the growth surface are in agreement with the proposed growth model.