A comparative study on SiC thin films grown on both uncatalyzed and Ni catalyzed Si(100) substrates by thermal MOCVD using single molecular precursors

We have deposited β-SiC thin films on Si(100) substrates using single source precursors by the thermal metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method and analyzed their surface characterization. Diethylmethylsilane (C2H5SiH(CH3)C2H5) was used as a single source precursor without any carrier or bubbler gas. With an increase of the deposition temperature from 700 to 900 °C, β-SiC thin films with relatively small crystals and smoother surfaces were deposited on Si(100) substrates. However, when the deposition temperature was raised to 1000 °C, the surface of the β-SiC thin film appears bursting on the deposited thin film. We could thus obtain the optimum β-SiC thin film using diethylmethylsilane at a deposition temperature as low as 900 °C. Moreover, we have succeeded in growing β-SiC nanowires with 40–100 nm diameter on nickel catalyzed Si(100) substrates using dichloromethylvinylsilane (CH2CHSi(CH3)Cl2), at deposition temperatures as low as 800 °C and a pressure of 5.0 × 10− 2 Torr. It is worth noticing that the initial growth rates of the deposited β-SiC thin films and nanowires strongly depend on the deposition temperature rather than on the time.