title: Dependence of process characteristics on atomic-step density in catalyst-referred etching of 4H-SiC(0001) surface.
abstract: Catalyst-referred etching (CARE) is a novel abrasive-free planarization method. CARE-processed 4H-SiC(0001) surfaces are extremely flat and undamaged over the whole wafer. They consist of single-bilayer-height atomic steps and atomically flat terraces. This suggests that the etching properties depend principally on the atomic-step density of the substrate surface. We used on-axis and 8 degrees off-axis substrates to investigate the processing characteristics that affect the atomic-step density of these substrates. We found a strong correlation between the removal rate and the atomic-step density of the two substrates. For the on-axis substrate, the removal rate increased with increasing surface roughness, which increases with an increasing atomic-step density. The removal rate ratio is approximately the same as the atomic-step density ratio of the two substrates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Precision Science and Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Yasuhisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Kazuma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: Azusa N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Keita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sadakuni
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
mesh_terms: D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D017655:Silicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D017655:Silicon Compounds; C022088:silicon carbide