Silane pyrolysis

✍ Scribed by R. Robertson; D. Hils; A. Gallagher

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 804 KB
• Volume: 103
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2614
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2614(84)80328-0

✦ Synopsis

We show that silane pyrolysis is initiated by decomposition on the amorphous silicon surface, with an activation energy E, of 56 kcal/mole. The observed surface decomposition rate is only weakly dependent on silane pressure. Much faster delayed decomposition rates, approximately independent of surface area and proportional to pressure, are shosn to be initiated by surface reactons. A model for surface decomposition is given. Also a model for gas reactions is su=ested based on H atom or SiH3 release by surface decomposition, causing chain reactions that process the gas to higher silanes that decompose rapidly. This model can explaii the previous observations that the initial disilane formation rate and the delayed decomposition rate were independent of the surface area to volume ratio A/V, which had misled previous investigators to suggest homogeneous initiation processes.