Reaction kinetics in silicon chemical vapor deposition

Gas-phase reactions of simple silicon hydride species underlying many types of chemical vapor deposition processes for silicon-based thin-film growth are reviewed in this paper. Mass spectrometry and laser-based spectroscopy are applied to identify gas-phase intermediates in thermal and hot-wire chemical vapor deposition processes. The mechanism of the thermal decomposition of silanes, including reactions that lead to the formation of hydrogenated silicon clusters, is examined. The gas-phase chemical kinetic mechanism in hot-wire chemical vapor deposition is proposed to explain precursor molecules for the film growth. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.