Localized epitaxial growth of hexagonal and cubic SiC films on Si by vacuum annealing

Localized epitaxial growth of hexagonal (6H) and cubic (3C) SiC films on Si by annealing the Si substrates at 700–850 °C in a vacuum of 1–2×10−6 Torr is presented. The orientation relationships of epitaxial SiC films grown on (111)Si and (100)Si were (0001)6H-SiC//(111)Si and [112̄0]6H-SiC//[011̄]Si, (111)3C-SiC//(111)Si and [1̄10]3C-SiC//[1̄10]Si, and (100)3C-SiC//(100)Si and [011]3C-SiC//[011]Si, respectively. The amount of 6H-SiC epitaxy was less than that of 3C-SiC epitaxy. For the films grown at 750–850 °C for 0.5 h, the area fraction of SiC epitaxy ranged from 60% to 80% and the film thickness ranged from 0.02 to 0.15 μm. The main carbon source for the growth of SiC on Si during vacuum annealing was the carbon-containing residue present at the chamber walls.