In Situ Mass Spectrometry for Chemical Identification in SiC Epitaxial Deposition

A quadrupole mass spectrometer unit was utilized to accurately detect the chemical species present inside a SiC CVD, reactor growth chamber before, during, and after epitaxial deposition. The in-situ mass spectrometer has been able to confirm the presence of silane (SiH4) and propane (C3H8) decomposition products (eg. Si and CH4) that were predicted from chemical modelling, and give insight into specific reaction kinetics. Additionally, the mass spectrometer has positively detected trace amounts of oxygen, which has helped to identify process weaknesses and possible sources of vacuum leaks.