Gas-phase modeling of chlorine-based chemical vapor deposition of silicon carbide

Kinetic calculations of the chemical phenomena occurring in the epitaxial growth of silicon carbide are performed in this study. The main process parameters analyzed are precursor types, growth temperature, Cl/Si ratio, and precursors' concentration. The analysis of the gas-phase reactions resulted in a model which could explain most of the already reported experimental results, performed in horizontal hot-wall reactors. The effect of using different carbon or silicon precursors is discussed, by comparing the gas-phase composition and the resulting C/Si ratio inside the hot reaction chamber. Chlorinated molecules with three chlorine atoms seem to be the most efficient and resulting in a uniform C/Si ratio along the susceptor coordinate. Further complexity in the process derives from the use of low temperatures, which affects not only the gas-phase composition but also the risk of gas-phase nucleation. The Cl/Si ratio is demonstrated to be crucial not only for the prevention of silicon clusters but also for the uniformity of the gas-phase composition.