Characterization of polycrystalline silicon carbide films grown by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition on polycrystalline silicon

Abstract

X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy were used to characterize the microstructure of polycrystalline SiC films grown on as-deposited and annealed polysilicon substrates. For both substrate types, the texture of the SiC films resembles the polysilicon at the onset of SiC growth. During the high temperature deposition process, the as-deposited polysilicon recrystallizes without influencing the crystallinity of the overlying SiC. An investigation of the SiC/polysilicon interface reveals that a heteroepitaxial relationship exists between polysilicon and SiC grains. From this study, a method to control the orientation of highly textured polycrystalline SiC films has been developed.