Reaction mechanism of silicon Cat-CVD

Reaction kinetics for the silicon catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD) has been investigated. SiH 3 and Si 2 H 2 are expected to be important precursors in the Si film growth. However, the reactivity of Si 2 H 2 to the film surface was not well understood. Quantum chemical calculations have been performed for the adsorption of Si 2 H 2 and H 2 SiSiH 2 on the Si( 10 0)-2 x 1 surface with and without the hydrogen termination. It was found that there was no activation barrier for the Si 2 H 2 adsorption on the bare Si(100) surface. The chemical kinetic model for the Si Cat-CVD process was modified according to these quantum chemical calculations. Results of kinetic simulations were compared to the experimental results. It is suggested that there is a correlation between the film quality and the concentration of Si 2 H 2 .