Cracking of Saturated Hydrocarbon Gas Molecular Beam for Carbonization of Si(001) Surface

Abstract
Carbonization of Si(001) surfaces by saturated hydrocarbon gas molecular beams in a high vacuum was carried out employing a thermal cracking technique. In the case of C3H8 and C2H6, the Si surfaces were carbonized at 750°C with a cracking temperature of 1300°C, and 3C-SiC layers were obtained. Decomposition of C3H8 by cracking was observed in quadrupole mass analyzer (QMA) measurements. In the case of C2H6, the effect of cracking was less obvious, and decomposed species were not observed except for H2 in QMA measurements. In the case of CH4, no effect of cracking was observed. This result seems to be related to the difference in the bond strengths of molecules.