Epitaxial growth

What is the main purpose of heating the wafer in high-temperature hydrogen just before silicon epitaxial growth?

  1. ATo oxidize the surface thickly
  2. BTo dope heavily
  3. CTo remove the native oxide and expose a clean crystal surface
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Answer: C. To remove the native oxide and expose a clean crystal surface

If native oxide or contamination remains on the surface, single crystal does not grow properly on it and defects result. Before growth, the wafer is heated in hydrogen (hydrogen bake) to remove the native oxide and expose a clean silicon crystal surface.

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More Epitaxial growth questions

  1. Why are epitaxial layers important in the fabrication of SiC power devices?
  2. In epitaxial growth by CVD, the growth rate depends strongly on temperature in the relatively low-temperature regime. Why?
  3. Which is a typical crystal defect in epitaxial layers in which the stacking sequence of atomic planes is disrupted?
  4. In GaN and similar materials, what is the technique called that reduces dislocations by growing crystal from mask openings and then laterally over the mask?
  5. Which method grows crystal on a substrate by precipitating it from a solution such as a molten metal?