Nucleation of SiC nanocrystals at the Si/SiO2_{2} interface: Effect of the interface properties

Different Miller-indices Si crystal planes covered with thermally grown SiO$_{2}$ layer were heat treated in CO containing ambient for several hours. Our group has been demonstrated that this process resulting nanometre sized SiC crystallites at the Si side of the Si/SiO$_{2}$ interface. Low voltage scanning electron microscopy was used to obtain information about the microstructure of the system. Size, morphology and nucleation density of the SiC nanocrystals have been found to depend strongly on the orientation of the substrates. Comparing the (110) plane with the other crystal planes the typical grain size is smaller and the nucleation density is one order of magnitude higher

Isotopic tracing study of the growth of silicon carbide nanocrystals at the SiO2/Si interface by CO annealing

International audienceThe epitaxial growth of beta-Sic nanocrystals at the (SiO2)-O-16/Si(100) interface under CO annealing has been studied using (CO)-C-13-O-18 and isotopically sensitive nuclear reaction analysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis. The results show that the amount of SiC increases linearly with the CO pressure and the annealing time. We demonstrate that the CO diffuses as a molecule in the silica and that for each C atom reacting to form SiC, an oxygen atom is incorporated in the vicinity of the interface. The linear and the parabolic rate constants corresponding to an adapted Deal and Grove model are also determined. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3173278