化学气相沉积法碳化硅外延设备技术进展

摘要/Abstract

摘要： 碳化硅(SiC)是制作高温、高频、大功率电子器件的理想电子材料,近20年来随着外延设备和工艺技术水平不断提升,外延膜生长速率和品质逐步提高,碳化硅在新能源汽车、光伏产业、高压输配线和智能电站等领域的应用需求越来越大。与硅半导体产业不同,碳化硅器件必须在外延膜上进行加工,因此碳化硅外延设备在整个产业链中占据承上启下的重要位置,而且也是整个产业链中最复杂、最难开发的设备。本文从碳化硅外延生长机理出发,结合反应室设计和材料科学的发展,介绍了化学气相沉积(CVD)法碳化硅外延设备反应室、加热系统和旋转系统等的技术进展,最后分析了CVD法碳化硅外延设备未来的研究重点和发展方向。

关键词: 碳化硅, 外延生长设备, 化学气相沉积, 外延生长机理, 反应室, 第三代半导体, 宽禁带半导体

Abstract: Silicon carbide (SiC) is an ideal electronic material for high temperature, high frequency, and high power electronic devices. In last 20 years, with the continous development of epitaxial equipment and process, the film growth rate and quality of SiC have been significantly improved, which leads more and more applications in various industrial fields such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaic industry, high-voltage transmission industry and intelligent power stations. Different from the silicon semiconductor industry, silicon carbide devices must be processed on the epitaxial film. Therefore, silicon carbide epitaxial equipment plays an critical connecting role in the whole industrial chain, and it is also the most complex and difficult to develop equipment in the whole industrial chain. In this paper, the SiC pitaxial mechanism is briefly described. The progress of several important aspects of the SiC-chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment, such as reactor chamber, heating system and rotation system etc. are reviewed. The outlook for the future research key areas and direction of SiC is also given.

Key words: silicon carbide, epitaxy equipment, chemical vapor deposition, epitaxy mechanism, reactor chamber, 3rd generation semiconductor, wide bandgap semiconductor

中图分类号:

韩跃斌, 蒲勇, 施建新. 化学气相沉积法碳化硅外延设备技术进展[J]. 人工晶体学报, 2022, 51(7): 1300-1308.

HAN Yuebin, PU Yong, SHI Jianxin. Advances in Chemical Vapor Deposition Equipment Used for SiC Epitaxy[J]. JOURNAL OF SYNTHETIC CRYSTALS, 2022, 51(7): 1300-1308.

参考文献

[1] CASADY J B, JOHNSON R W. Status of silicon carbide (SiC) as a wide-bandgap semiconductor for high-temperature applications: a review[J]. Solid-State Electronics, 1996, 39(10): 1409-1422.
[2] MORKOÇ H, STRITE S, GAO G B, et al. Large-band-gap SiC, Ⅲ-Ⅴ nitride, and Ⅱ-Ⅵ ZnSe-based semiconductor device technologies[J]. Journal of Applied Physics, 1994, 76(3): 1363-1398.
[3] EDDY C R Jr, GASKILL D K. Silicon carbide as a platform for power electronics[J]. Science, 2009, 324(5933): 1398-1400.
[4] LEE T H, BHUNIA S, MEHREGANY M. Electromechanical computing at 500 ℃ with silicon carbide[J]. Science, 2010, 329(5997): 1316-1318.
[5] 任学民.SiC单晶生长技术及器件研究进展[J].半导体情报,1998,35(4):7-12.
REN X M. Development of SiC single crystal growth and device study[J]. Semiconductor Information, 1998, 35(4): 7-12(in Chinese).
[6] 中华人民共和国中央人民政府. 中华人民共和国国民经济和社会发展第十四个五年规划和2035年远景目标纲要 [EB/OL]. [2021-03-13]. http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2021-03/13/content_5592681.htm.
People’s Republic of China, The 14th five-year plan for national economic and social development of the people’s Republic of China and the outline of long-term objectives for 2035[EB/OL]. [2021-03-13]. http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2021-03/13/content_5592681.htm(in Chinese).
[7] NISHINO S, HAZUKI Y, MATSUNAMI H, et al. Chemical vapor deposition of single crystalline β-SiC films on silicon substrate with sputtered intermediate layer [J]. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 1980, 127 (12): 2674-2680.
[8] NISHINO S, POWELL J A, WILL H A. Production of large-area single-crystal wafers of cubic SiC for semiconductor devices[J]. Applied Physics Letters, 1983, 42(5): 460-462.
[9] TANAKA S, KERN R S, DAVIS R F. Effects of gas flow ratio on silicon carbide thin film growth mode and polytype formation during gas-source molecular beam epitaxy[J]. Applied Physics Letters, 1994, 65(22): 2851-2853.
[10] SUN Y, AYABE T, MIYASATO T. Influence of SiC cover layer of Si substrate on properties of cubic SiC films prepared by hydrogen plasma sputtering[J]. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 1999, 38(Part 2, No. 7A): L714-L716.
[11] RIMAI L, AGER R, LOGOTHETIS E M, et al. Preparation of oriented silicon carbide films by laser ablation of ceramic silicon carbide targets[J]. Applied Physics Letters, 1991, 59(18): 2266-2268.
[12] ZEHNDER T, BLATTER A, BÄCHLI A. SiC films prepared by pulsed excimer laser deposition[J]. Thin Solid Films, 1994, 241(1/2): 138-141.
[13] WANG Y X, WEN J, GUO Z, et al. The preparation of single-crystal 4H-SiC film by pulsed XeCl laser deposition[J]. Thin Solid Films, 1999, 338(1/2): 93-99.
[14] 冯淦,孙永强,钱卫宁,等.4H-SiC半导体同质外延生长技术进展[J].人工晶体学报,2020,49(11):2128-2138.
FENG G, SUN Y Q, QIAN W N, et al. Progress in homoepitaxial growth of 4H-SiC semiconductor[J]. Journal of Synthetic Crystals, 2020, 49(11): 2128-2138(in Chinese).
[15] DAIGO Y, ISHII S, KOBAYASHI T. Impacts of surface C/Si ratio on in-wafer uniformity and defect density of 4H-SiC homo-epitaxial films grown by high-speed wafer rotation vertical CVD[J]. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2019, 58(SB): SBBK06.
[16] KURODA N, SHIBAHARA K, YOO W, et al. Step-controlled VPE growth of SiC single crystals at low temperatures[C]//Extended Abstracts of the 1987 Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials. August 25-27, 1987. Nippon Toshi Center, Tokyo, Japan. The Japan Society of Applied Physics, 1987.
[17] UEDA T, NISHINO H, MATSUNAMI H. Crystal growth of SiC by step-controlled epitaxy[J]. Journal of Crystal Growth, 1990, 104(3): 695-700.
[18] KONG H, KIM H J, EDMOND J A, et al. Growth, doping, device development and characterization of CVD beta-SiC epilayers on Si(100) and alpha-SiC(0001)[J]. MRS Proceedings, 1987, 97: 233.
[19] LA VIA F, GALVAGNO G, FOTI G, et al. 4H SiC epitaxial growth with chlorine addition[J]. Chemical Vapor Deposition, 2006, 12(8/9): 509-515.
[20] KIMOTO T, NISHINO H, YOO W S, et al. Growth mechanism of 6H-SiC in step-controlled epitaxy[J]. Journal of Applied Physics, 1993, 73(2): 726-732.
[21] ITO M, STORASTA L, TSUCHIDA H. Development of a high rate 4H-SiC epitaxial growth technique achieving large-area uniformity[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2008, 600/601/602/603: 111-114.
[22] KIMOTO T, COOPER J A. Fundamentals of silicon carbide technology[M]. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons Singapore Pte. Ltd, 2014.
[23] LEONE S, PEDERSEN H, BEYER F C, et al. Chloride-based CVD of 4H-SiC at high growth rates on substrates with different off-angles[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2012, 717/718/719/720: 113-116.
[24] LEONE S, HENRY A, JANZÉN E, et al. Epitaxial growth of SiC with chlorinated precursors on different off-angle substrates[J]. Journal of Crystal Growth, 2013, 362: 170-173.
[25] CHOKAWA K, DAIGO Y, MIZUSHIMA I, et al. First-principles and thermodynamic analysis for gas phase reactions and structures of the SiC(0001) surface under conventional CVD and Halide CVD environments[J]. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2021, 60(8): 085503.
[26] HENRY A, LEONE S, BEYER F C, et al. SiC epitaxy growth using chloride-based CVD[J]. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 2012, 407(10): 1467-1471.
[27] LEONE S, MAUCERI M, PISTONE G, et al. SiC-4H epitaxial layer growth using trichlorosilane (TCS) as silicon precursor[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2006, 527/528/529: 179-182.
[28] PEDERSEN H, LEONE S, HENRY A, et al. Very high growth rate of 4H-SiC using MTS as chloride-based precursor[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2008, 600/601/602/603: 115-118.
[29] KOTAMRAJU S P, KRISHNAN B, KOSHKA Y. Epitaxial growth of 4H-SiC with high growth rate using CH₃Cl and SiCl₄ chlorinated growth precursors[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2010, 645/646/647/648: 103-106.
[30] DEIVENDRAN B, SHINDE V M, KUMAR H, et al. 3D Modeling and optimization of SiC deposition from CH₃SiCl₃/H₂ in a commercial hot wall reactor[J]. Journal of Crystal Growth, 2021, 554: 125944.
[31] MACMILLAN M F, LOBODA M J, CHUNG G Y, et al. Homoepitaxial growth of 4H-SiC using a chlorosilane silicon precursor[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2006, 527/528/529: 175-178.
[32] NuFlare Technology Inc. EPIREVO^TM S6 6″ single-wafer SiC epitaxial reactor[EB/OL]. http://www.nuflare.co.jp/english/products/epitaxial/EPIREVO_S6.html.
[33] AIXTRON (Group), AIX 2800G4-TM (IC2) Brochure [EB/OL]. https://www.aixtron.com/en/products/AIX%202800G4-TM_p89.
[34] BURK A A Jr, ROWLAND L B. Homoepitaxial VPE growth of SiC active layers[J]. Physica Status Solidi (b), 1997, 202(1): 263-279.
[35] KIMOTO T, ITOH A, MATSUNAMI H. Step-controlled epitaxial growth of high-quality SiC layers[J]. Physica Status Solidi (b), 1997, 202(1): 247-262.
[36] RUPP R, MAKAROV Y N, BEHNER H, et al. Silicon carbide epitaxy in a vertical CVD reactor: experimental results and numerical process simulation[J]. Physica Status Solidi (b), 1997, 202(1): 281-304.
[37] KORDINA O, HALLIN C, HENRY A, et al. Growth of SiC by “hot-wall” CVD and HTCVD[J]. Physica Status Solidi (b), 1997, 202(1): 321-334.
[38] HENRY A, UL HASSAN J, P BERGMAN J, et al. Thick silicon carbide homoepitaxial layers grown by CVD techniques[J]. Chemical Vapor Deposition, 2006, 12(8/9): 475-482.
[39] NISHIZAWA S, PONS M. Growth and doping modeling of SiC-CVD in a horizontal hot-wall reactor[J]. Chemical Vapor Deposition, 2006, 12(8/9): 516-522.
[40] VIA F L, IZZO G, MAUCERI M, et al. 4H-SiC epitaxial layer growth by trichlorosilane (TCS)[J]. Journal of Crystal Growth, 2008, 311(1): 107-113.
[41] KIMOTO T, GAN F, HIYOSHI T, et al. Defect control in growth and processing of 4H-SiC for power device applications[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2010, 645/646/647/648: 645-650.
[42] BURK A A, O'LOUGHLIN M J, PAISLEY M J, et al. Large area SiC epitaxial layer growth in a warm-wall planetary VPE reactor[M]//Materials Science Forum. Stafa: Trans Tech Publications Ltd., 2005: 137-140.
[43] THOMAS B, HECHT C, STEIN R A, et al. Challenges in large-area multi-wafer SiC epitaxy for production needs[J]. Materials Science Forum, 2006, 527/528/529: 135-140.
[44] 刘子优,肖蕴章,陈炳安,等.一种外延生长设备的反应室结构:CN111172587A[P].2021-03-16.
LIU Z Y, XIAO Y Z, CHEN B A, et al. A reaction chamber of epitaxy equipment: China, CN111172587A[P].2021-03-16(in Chinese).
[45] 蒲勇,卢勇,赵鹏.加热器零部件(中圈):CN306895205S[P].2021-10-22.
PU Y, LU P, ZHAO P. Heating part (middle ring): China, CN306895205S[P].2021-10-22(in Chinese).
[46] 芯三代半导体科技(苏州)有限公司.一种碳化硅外延生长装置:CN114059164A[P].2022-02-18.
SiCentury Semiconductor Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. A SiC epi growth equipment: China, CN114059164A[P].2022-02-18 (in Chinese).
[47] 左然,张红,刘祥林.径向三重流MOCVD反应器输运过程的数值模拟[J].半导体学报,2005,26(5):977-982.
ZUO R, ZHANG H, LIU X L. Numerical study of transport phenomena in a radial flow MOCVD reactor with three-separate vertical inlets[J]. Chinese Journal of Semiconductors, 2005, 26(5): 977-982(in Chinese).
[48] 冯兰胜,过润秋,张进成.MOCVD反应室流场分析及其对GaN生长的影响[J].西安电子科技大学学报,2017,44(1):171-175.
FENG L S, GUO R Q, ZHANG J C. Effect of reactor geometry on GaN in a vertical MOCVD reactor[J]. Journal of Xidian University, 2017, 44(1): 171-175(in Chinese).
[49] MITROVIC B, GURARY A, KADINSKI L. On the flow stability in vertical rotating disc MOCVD reactors under a wide range of process parameters[J]. Journal of Crystal Growth, 2006, 287(2): 656-663.
[50] 张淑蓉.石墨加热元件在真空炉中的应用研究[J].工业加热,2012,41(5):66-68.
ZHANG S R. The application research of the graphite heating elements to the vacuum furnace[J]. Industrial Heating, 2012, 41(5): 66-68(in Chinese).
[51] DAIGO Y, WATANABE T, ISHIGURO A, et al. Impact of precise temperature control for 4H-SiC epitaxy on large diameter wafers[C]//2020 International Symposium on Semiconductor Manufacturing (ISSM). December 15-16, 2020, Tokyo, Japan. IEEE, 2020: 1-4.
[52] 蒲勇,彭学新.MOCVD反应管中石墨基座高温控制技术研究[J].南昌大学学报(工科版),2003,25(2):55-58.
PU Y, PENG X X. Study on control of high temperature of susceptor in MOCVD reactor[J]. Journal of Nanchang University (Engineering & Technology), 2003, 25(2): 55-58(in Chinese).
[53] 杨超普,方文卿,刘明宝,等.MOCVD原位红外测温方法的比较研究[J].应用光学,2016,37(2):297-302.
YANG C P, FANG W Q, LIU M B, et al. Comparative study on in situ infrared thermometry methods of MOCVD[J]. Journal of Applied Optics, 2016, 37(2): 297-302(in Chinese).
[54] DAIGO Y, WATANABE T, ISHIGURO A, et al. Reduction of harmful effect due to by-product in CVD reactor for 4H-SiC epitaxy[C]//2020 International Symposium on Semiconductor Manufacturing (ISSM). December 15-16, 2020, Tokyo, Japan. IEEE, 2020: 1-4.