Growth of Facet-Free Selective Silicon Epitaxy at Low Temperature and Atmospheric Pressure

Epitaxial silicon has been deposited selectively in an atmospheric pressure system at temperatures from 850 down to 600°C. Si was deposited by the hydrogen reduction of dichlorosilane in an ultraclean system using a loadlock and purified gases. Water and oxygen impurities in the hydrogen carrier gas were found to block or degrade epitaxial growth when not removed by a purifier. The growth rate at 750°C is 16 nm/min and is strongly activated with temperature. The epitaxial layers are free of faceting adjacent to oxide islands aligned along both the <110> and <100> directions. © 1991, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.