Laser-induced chemical vapor deposition of polycrystalline Si from SiCl4

Abstract
Polycrystalline Si films with average grain sizes of ∼8 μm have been grown by laser‐induced chemical vapor deposition from SiCl4. A cw CO2 laser operated at 10.6 μm was used to provide local heating of quartz substrates in an otherwise cool reactor to initiate the endothermic decomposition reaction. Deposition rates of 5.1 μm/min were obtained for films grown at an incident laser power of 18.9 W, resulting in sharply defined mesa structures due to the occurrence of the reverse reaction, etching of free Si, at cooler regions of the substrate surface closer to the edge of the 6‐mm irradiated zone. The diameter of the mesas was 1.4 mm with thicknesses up to 26 μm. Three modes of film growth, depending on the incident laser power, were observed.

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