Silicon Thin Film Homoepitaxy by Rapid Thermal Atmospheric-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (RT-APCVD)

Abstract

AbstractThe homoepitaxy of thin film silicon layers in a horizontal, atmospheric pressure RTCVD reactor is reported. The experiments were conducted in a temperature range from 900°C to 1300°C employing the precursor trichlorosilane (TCS) and the dopant trichloroborine (TCB) diluted in hydrogen. The epilayers were evaluated by Nomarski microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrical properties of the thin film were analyzed by sheet resistance and four point probe characterization methods. We propose that the responsible mechanisms for the observed growth decline at higher precursor concentration in hydrogen are due to the reaction of the gaseous HCI with the silicon surface and the supersaturation of silicon.