本研究以氣-液-固( VLS )三相成長機制，於矽基板上磊晶成長碳化矽薄膜。VLS 成長機制能夠克服目前最常使用的單一種化學氣相沉積法或物理氣相傳輸技術生長碳化矽薄膜所遇到的一些缺點，利用化學氣相沉積法所使用的原料通常為易燃有毒的氣體，故需要昂貴的設備以防意外發生，而物理氣相傳輸技術則是需要高溫環境，極耗能量且僅可用於高熔點基板。

本研究即是以甲烷為碳源，矽基板為矽源，以金屬銅當作溶劑，利用 VLS成長機制製備碳化矽薄膜，其過程簡述如下：使用蒸鍍系統於矽基板上蒸鍍─層銅薄膜並在高溫下熔融，然後通甲烷氣體( 碳源 )使其擴散通過此液體層與基板( 矽源 )發生反應，導致 β-SiC 於矽基板表面磊晶生長。 VLS 成長過程主要控制參數為：基板溫度、生長時間、Ar/CH4 比、以及銅膜厚度等等。

研究結果證實這些參數改變會影響 β-SiC 的成核及成長速率，當基板溫度過低、碳源過多 (低 Ar/CH4 比)、或銅膜厚度太薄時，所成長的薄膜在 X-ray 繞射中會呈現出非(111)晶面之 β-SiC 繞射峰，顯示因 β-SiC 成核及成長速度過快而使得碳化矽之晶粒排列紊亂，無法維持磊晶品質。實驗發現最佳參數為：基板溫度 1100 ℃、 Ar/CH4 比 3000/1、銅膜厚度 30 nm、持溫 4 小時後隨爐冷卻，在此參數下，不需碳化矽晶種即可於矽基板上生長出磊晶 β-SiC 薄膜。結構分析發現矽基板與 β-SiC 薄膜間有一結構紊亂的界面層存在，厚度約為 1~2 nm，此界面層的存在是為了緩衝矽基板與 β-SiC 薄膜間高達 20% 的晶格差所造成的應力。

3C-SiC films were deposited on the (111) Si substrates by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) tri-phase growth method, which involved the following steps: (1) a Cu thin layer was evaporated on the Si substrate prior to the growth, (2) the substrate was heated up to melt the Cu layer, (3) methane gas (carbon source) was diffused into the liquid Cu layer to react with Si, leading to the growth of SiC films on the substrate surface. The control parameters in such a VLS growth process included growth temperature, dwelling time, Ar/CH4 ratio (i.e. carbon concentration in the ambience), and Cu layer thickness (i.e. carbon diffusion rate). These parameters controlled the nucleation process and growth rate and therefore, determined the phase purity and texture of the resultant 3C-SiC films. The optimal parameters were identified as follows: substrate temperature 1100 ℃, dwelling time 4 hour, Ar/CH4 ratio 3000/1, and Cu layer thickness 30 nm. Under such conditions, well crystallized 3C-SiC films with a preferred (111) orientation were grown. It was observed that between the grown 3C-SiC film and (111) Si substrate there was a structurally disordered transition layer of the thickness of about 1~2 nm. Such a layer was helpful to release the heteroepitaxial strain introduced by the large lattice misfit (~25%) between Si and 3C-SiC.

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