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A transmission electron microscopy investigation of SiC films grown on SiC substrates by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy

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Abstract

The relationship between the defect microstructure of SiC films grown by solid-source molecular-beam epitaxy on 4H and 6H–SiC substrates and their growth conditions, for substrate temperatures ranging between 950 and 1300 °C, has been investigated by a combination of transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The results demonstrate that the formation of defective cubic films is generally found to occur at temperatures below 1000 °C. At temperatures above 1000 °C our investigations prove that simultaneous supply of C and Si in the step-flow growth mode on vicinal 4H and 6H substrate surfaces results in defect-free hexagonal SiC layers, and defect-free cubic SiC can be grown by the alternating deposition technique. The controlled overgrowth of hexagonal on top of cubic layers is demonstrated for thin layer thicknesses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut f¨r Festkdörperphysik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, D-07743, Jena, Germany

    U. Kaiser & W. Richter

  2. Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High Purity Materials RAS, 142432, Chernogolovka, Germany

    I. Khodos

  3. Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    P. D. Brown

  4. Institute of Catalysis, Novosibirsk 90, 630090, Germany

    A. Chuvilin

  5. Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaften, Universität Erlangen, Cauerstrasse 6, D-91058, Erlangen, Germany

    M. Albrecht

  6. Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    C. J. Humphreys

  7. Institut für Festkörperphysik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, D-07743, Jena, Germany

    A. Fissel

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  1. U. Kaiser
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  2. I. Khodos
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  7. A. Fissel
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  8. W. Richter
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Kaiser, U., Khodos, I., Brown, P.D. et al. A transmission electron microscopy investigation of SiC films grown on SiC substrates by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. Journal of Materials Research 14, 3226–3236 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.1999.0436

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.1999.0436

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