Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines

Sic Systems, Inc.

Michael Seman

Colin A Wolden

Joshua Robbins

A method to grow a boule of silicon carbide is described. The method may include flowing a silicon-containing precursor and a carbon-containing precursor proximate to a heated filament array and forming the silicon carbide boule on a substrate from reactions of the heated silicon-containing and carbon-containing precursors. Also, an apparatus for growing a silicon carbide boule is described. The apparatus may include a deposition chamber to deposit silicon carbide on a substrate, and a precursor transport system for introducing silicon-containing and carbon-containing precursors into the deposition chamber. The apparatus may also include at least one filament or filament segment capable of being heated to a temperature that can activate the precursors, and a substrate pedestal to hold a deposition substrate upon which the silicon carbide boule is grown. The pedestal may be operable to change the distance between the substrate and the filament as the silicon carbide boule is grown.

Production of bulk silicon carbide with hot-filament chemical vapor deposition

TaOand AlOthin films were fabricated by pulsed plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with simultaneous delivery of Oand the metal precursor. By appropriately controlling the gas-phase environment self-limiting deposition at controllable rates (&#x2dc;1 &#x212b;/pulse) was obtained. The process was insensitive to substrate temperature, with a constant deposition rate observed from 90-350&#xb0; C. As-deposited TaOfilms under these conditions displayed good dielectric properties. Performance improvements correlate strongly with film density and composition as measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Pulsed PECVD eliminates the need for gas actuation and inert purge steps required by atomic layer deposition.

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Golden, CO, United States of America

Michael Seman