Selective epitaxial formation of semiconductive films

Abstract

Epitaxial layers are selectively formed in semiconductor windows by a cyclical process of repeated blanket deposition and selective etching. The blanket deposition phases leave non-epitaxial material over insulating regions, such as field oxide, and the selective etch phases preferentially remove non-epitaxial material while deposited epitaxial material builds up cycle-by-cycle. Quality of the epitaxial material improves relative to selective processes where no deposition occurs on insulators. Use of a germanium catalyst during the etch phases of the process aid etch rates and facilitate economical maintenance of isothermal and/or isobaric conditions throughout the cycles. Throughput and quality are improved by use of trisilane, formation of amorphous material over the insulating regions and minimizing the thickness ratio of amorphous:epitaxial material in each deposition phase.