A transmission electron microscopy investigation of SiC films grown on Si(111) substrates by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy

The effects of different growth parameters on the microstructure of the SiC films formed during simultaneous two-source molecular-beam-epitaxial (MBE) deposition have been investigated. Substrate temperatures as low as 750–900 °C have been used. The relationship between a number of different growth morphologies and deposition conditions has been established. The formation of single-crystal 3C films has been found to occur at low growth rates but within a limited Si: C adatom ratio. A combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to examine the different films, and the results of these investigations are described.