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Catalyst‐referred etching of 4HSiC substrate utilizing hydroxyl radicals generated from hydrogen peroxide molecules
Author(s) -
Yagi Keita,
Murata Junji,
Kubota Akihisa,
Sano Yasuhisa,
Hara Hideyuki,
Okamoto Takeshi,
Arima Kenta,
Mimura Hidekazu,
Yamauchi Kazuto
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.2804
Subject(s) - radical , hydrogen peroxide , chemistry , catalysis , chemical mechanical planarization , substrate (aquarium) , molecule , silicon carbide , etching (microfabrication) , photochemistry , peroxide , silicon , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , layer (electronics) , oceanography , geology , engineering
We describe a new environmentally friendly planarization technique for 4H‐silicon carbide (SiC) substrates. The method uses hydroxyl (OH) radicals generated from hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) molecules. The surface morphology and the removal rate show strong dependencies on the plane direction of the substrate. This is attributed to the oxidation mechanism wherein oxidation progresses through the exchange of the surface C‐sites with O atoms. A difference in the number of CSi bonds around the surface C‐sites causes a difference in the removal rate between the opposite faces. On the (0001) face, the oxidation progresses preferentially at the step edge, where the C‐sites are locally exposed. As a result, a step‐terrace structure is formed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.