Solid-Phase Epitaxial Growth.
Abstract
We report on the growth of Si single-crystal films by solid-phase epitaxy (SPE). Two variants of SPE are discussed: (1) direct SPE, in which an amorphous Si film is deposited onto a clean single-crystal substrate then heated to cause epitaxial crystallization, and (2) silicide-interlayer SPE, in which a thin transition-metal film is deposited onto the substrate and reacted with it prior to the deposition of amorphous Si to scavenge surface contaminants and permit epitaxy. We show that previous work on silicide-interlayer SPE was dominated by contaminant effects and did not represent the intrinsic behavior of the process. Surprisingly, however, conducting interlayer SPE in a noncontaminating, ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) environment did not improve the quality of the films, but instead changed the growth morphology, with the result that even films grown under the most stringent vacuum conditions are unsuitable for most microelectronic applications. It appears that certain foreign contaminants may actually be necessary in silicide-interlayer SPE to hold the silicide together during Si transport.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA084175
Entities
People
- John D. Roth
Organizations
- HRL Laboratories