Size-Dependent Silicon Epitaxy at Mesoscale Dimensions

New discoveries on collective processes in materials fabrication and performance are emerging in the mesoscopic size regime between the nanoscale, where atomistic effects dominate, and the macroscale, where bulk-like behavior rules. For semiconductor electronics and photonics, dimensional control of the architecture in this regime is the limiting factor for device performance. Epitaxial crystal growth is the major tool enabling simultaneous control of the dimensions and properties of such architectures. Although size-dependent effects have been studied for many small-scale systems, they have not been reported for the epitaxial growth of Si crystalline surfaces. Here, we show a strong dependence of epitaxial growth rates on size for nano to microscale radial wires and planar stripes. A model for this unexpected size-dependent vapor phase epitaxy behavior at small dimensions suggests that these effects are universal and result from an enhanced surface desorption of the silane (SiH4) growth precursor near facet edges. Introducing phosphorus or boron dopants during the silicon epitaxy further decreases the growth rates and, for phosphorus, gives rise to a critical layer thickness for single crystalline epitaxial growth. This previously unknown mesoscopic size-dependent growth effect at mesoscopic dimensions points to a new mechanism in vapor phase growth and promises greater control of advanced device geometries.