Experimental and Modeling Studies of B Atom Number Density Distributions in Hot Filament Activated B2H6/H2 and B2H6/CH4/H2 Gas Mixtures

Experimental and modeling studies of the gas-phase chemistry occurring in dilute, hot filament (HF) activated B2H6/H2 and B2H6/CH4/H2 gas mixtures are reported. Spatially resolved relative number densities of B (and H) atoms have been measured by resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization methods, as a function of process conditions (e.g. the HF material and its temperature, the B2H6/H2 mixing ratio, and the presence (or not) of added CH4). Three-dimensional modeling of the H/B chemistry prevailing in such HF activated gas mixtures using a simplified representation of the gas phase chemistry succeeds in reproducing all of the experimentally observed trends, and in illustrating the key role of the “H-shifting” reactions BH x + H ⇌ BH x - 1 + H2 (x = 1−3) in enabling rapid interconversion between the various BH x (x = 0−3) species. CH4 addition, at partial pressures appropriate for growth of boron-doped diamond by chemical vapor deposition methods, leads to ∼30% reduction in the measured B atom signal near the HF. The modeling suggests that this is mainly due to concomitant H atom depletion near the HF, but it also allows us a first assessment of the possible contributions from B/C coupling reactions upon CH4 addition to HF activated B2H6/H2 gas mixtures.