High-quality homoepitaxial silicon films deposited by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition

Abstract
Homoepitaxial Si films have been deposited by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD), a growth technique based on the combination of rapid thermal annealing lamps and a chemical vapor deposition chamber. The low thermal mass of the system allows the substrate to be heated and cooled rapidly, and to be held at temperature for short periods (seconds) of time, thereby allowing the growth of thin films. Si films have been grown epitaxially at temperatures between 600 and 900 °C. At 800 °C growth temperature, films with total C and O impurities less than 20 ppm, and defect densities less than 102 cm−2, have been grown. Finally, RTCVD and molecular-beam epitaxy have been compared with respect to the growth of Si-based structures.