Real-time photoelectron spectroscopy study of 3C-SiC nucleation and growth on Si(001) surface by carbonization with ethylene

Hozumi, Hideaki*; Ogawa, Shuichi*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka ; Ishizuka, Shinji*; Harries, J.; Teraoka, Yuden; Takakuwa, Yuji*

It is reported that SiC alloy layer was formed on an Si(001) surface with CH exposure at 933 K before nucleation. However information of the chemical bonding state and concentration of adsorbed carbon has not been clear. Therefore the carbonization reaction kinetics on an Si(001) surface reacted with CH exposure was observed by real-time XPS to investigate the 3C-SiC nucleation kinetics. The experiments were performed at the BL23SU of SPring-8. It is suggested that the C1s spectra is composed of at least three chemically-shifted components, which are assigned to carbon-poor SiC alloy, carbon-rich SiC alloy and 3C-SiC. The 3C-SiC nuclei began to generate at 8000s. Using C1s and Si2p peaks, carbon concentration of the SiC alloy layer was estimated to be about 0.17 of x. Therefore it is suggested that critical carbon concentration is 17%.