Epitaxial Growth of Silicon by Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition at a Very Low Temperature of 250°C

A new technique for the epitaxial growth of silicon has been developed using plasma chemical vapor deposition. Epitaxial thin films were grown on (100) Si substrates at 250°C from a gas mixture of SiH4, SiH2F2, and H2 by glow discharge decomposition. Reflective high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) measurements showed that the surface of the epitaxial film obtained was smooth. The epitaxial films have been characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS).