| The goal of this research project was to implement a Silicon Carbide (SiC) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor to permit repeatable growth of whole wafer (75mm diameter) epitaxial films in the Emerging Materials Research Laboratory (EMRL) at Mississippi State University. SiC is an epitaxial-based device technology and, as a consequence, epi growth via CVD is the first and often most critical, device fabrication step. Since devices fabricated from these layers must operate in a nearly identical manner across the entire wafer and from device fabrication run to run independent of the system operator, it is critical that the CVD system be designed to achieve these goals. A 75mm (3 inch) diameter cold-wall, horizontal epi reactor was designed, built, and its operation verified during this research project. Precise experimentation, with an emphasis on run-to-run repeatability, was performed to fully characterize the reactor and to determine the epi growth operating points necessary to achieve controlled doping. This was accomplished through the execution of both intentionally and unintentionally doped growth experiments. Final qualification of system operation via whole-wafer growth experimentation was conducted at the completion of this research and the doping density uniformity was found to be within acceptable limits (within a factor of 2 without wafer rotation). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
