Abstract
Tetrafluorosilane (SiF4 or TFS), a novel precursor gas, has been demonstrated to perform three primary operations of silicon carbide-related processing: SiC etching, SiC epitaxial growth and graphene epitaxial growth. TFS etches SiC substrate vigorously in a H2 ambient by efficient Si removal from the surface, where SiC etch rate is a function of TFS gas concentration. In this SiC etching process, Si is removed by TFS and C is removed by H2. When propane is added to a H2 and TFS gas mixture, etching is halted and high-quality SiC epitaxy takes place in a Si droplet-free condition. TFS’s ability to remove Si can also be exploited to grow epitaxial graphene in a controllable manner in an inert (Ar) ambient. Here, TFS enhances graphene growth by selective etching of Si from the SiC surface.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
B. Daas, S.U. Omar, S. Shetu, K.M. Daniels, S. Ma, T. Sudarshan, and M. Chandrashekhar, Cryst. Growth Des. 12, 3379 (2012).
T. Rana, Doctoral Thesis, Electrical Engineering (Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2013).
T. Rana, M. Chandrashekhar, and T.S. Sudarshan, Phys. Status Solidi A 209, 2455 (2012).
P.L. Timms, R.A. Kent, T.C. Ehlert, and J.L. Margave, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 87, 2824 (1965).
S. Sundaresan, C. Sturdevant, M. Marripelly, E. Lieser, and R. Singh, Mater. Sci. Forum 717–720, 949 (2012).
B.K. Daas, W. Nomani, K.M. Daniels, T.S. Sudarshan, G. Koley, and M. Chandrashekhar, Mater. Sci. Forum 717, 665 (2012).
K.M. Daniels, B.K. Daas, N. Srivastava, C. Williams, R.M. Feenstra, T.S. Sudarshan, and M. Chandrashekhar, Mater. Sci. Forum 717, 661 (2012).
K.V. Emtsev, A. Bostwick, K. Horn, J. Jobst, G.L. Kellogg, L. Ley, J.L. McChesney, T. Ohta, S.A. Reshanov, and J. Röhrl, Nat. Mater. 8, 203 (2009).
J.A. Robinson, M. Wetherington, J.L. Tedesco, P.M. Campbell, X. Weng, J. Stitt, M.A. Fanton, E. Frantz, D. Snyder, and B.L. VanMil, Nano Lett. 9, 2873 (2009).
J.L. Tedesco, G.G. Jernigan, J.C. Culbertson, J.K. Hite, Y. Yang, K.M. Daniels, R.L. Myers-Ward, C.R. Eddy Jr, J.A. Robinson, and K.A. Trumbull, Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 222103 (2010).
M. Kumagawa, H. Kuwabara, and S. Yamada, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 8, 421 (1969).
T. Rana, M.V.S. Chandrasekhar, and T.S. Sudarshan, J. Cryst. Growth 380, 61 (2013).
J.A.A. Burk and L.B. Rowland, J. Cryst. Growth 167, 586 (1996).
S. Nakamura, T. Kimoto, H. Matsunami, S. Tanaka, N. Teraguchi, and A. Suzuki, Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 3412 (2000).
J.E. Huheey, Inorganic Chemistry Principles of Structure and Reactivity (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1972), p. 694.
T. Rana, H.Z. Song, M.V.S. Chandrashekhar, and T.S. Sudarshan, Mater. Sci. Forum 717–720, 153 (2012).
T. Rana, M.V.S. Chandrashekhar, K. Daniels, and T. Sudarshan, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 030304 (2015).
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the Office of Naval Research (ONR, Award No. N0001 41010530) under the supervision of program director, Dr. H. Scott Coombe, and Dr. Coombe for his support. They also gratefully acknowledge Dr. Chris Williams in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of South Carolina for allowing the use of Raman spectrometer. Finally, Natalie McDonald is acknowledged for her help in improving the English grammar and punctuations in this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rana, T., Chandrashekhar, M., Daniels, K. et al. SiC Homoepitaxy, Etching and Graphene Epitaxial Growth on SiC Substrates Using a Novel Fluorinated Si Precursor Gas (SiF4). J. Electron. Mater. 45, 2019–2024 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4234-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4234-2