Provided is a method for controlling the rate of etching of a SiC substrate based on a composition of a storing container. The etching method of the present invention is for etching the SiC substrate by heating the SiC substrate under Si vapor pressure, in a state where the SiC substrate is stored in a crucible. The crucible is formed of a tantalum metal, and has a tantalum carbide layer provided on an internal space side of the tantalum metal, and a tantalum silicide layer provided on the side further toward the internal space side than the tantalum carbide layer. The rate of etching of the SiC substrate is controlled based on difference in a composition of the tantalum silicide layer.

Methods and devices for epitaxially growing boron doped silicon germanium layers. The layers may be used, for example, as a p-type source and/or drain regions in field effect transistors.

Methods and devices for epitaxially growing boron doped silicon germanium layers. The layers may be used, for example, as a p-type source and/or drain regions in field effect transistors.

In a method for manufacturing an SiC wafer, a work-affected layer removal step of removing a work-affected layer generated in a surface and inside of an SiC wafer is performed, so that the SiC wafer from which the work-affected layer is at least partially removed is manufactured. In the work-affected layer removal step, the SiC wafer having undergone a polishing step is etched with an etching amount of 10 μm or less by being heated under Si vapor pressure so that the work-affected layer is removed. In the polishing step, an oxidizer is used to produce a reaction product in the SiC wafer while abrasive grains are used to remove the reaction product. In the SiC wafer having undergone the polishing step, an internal stress caused by the work-affected layer is present at a location inner than the work-affected layer, and an internal stress of the SiC wafer is reduced by removing the work-affected layer in the work-affected layer removal step.

In a method for manufacturing an SiC wafer, a work-affected layer removal step of removing a work-affected layer generated in a surface and inside of an SiC wafer is performed, so that the SiC wafer from which the work-affected layer is at least partially removed is manufactured. In the work-affected layer removal step, the SiC wafer having undergone a polishing step is etched with an etching amount of 10 μm or less by being heated under Si vapor pressure so that the work-affected layer is removed. In the polishing step, an oxidizer is used to produce a reaction product in the SiC wafer while abrasive grains are used to remove the reaction product. In the SiC wafer having undergone the polishing step, an internal stress caused by the work-affected layer is present at a location inner than the work-affected layer, and an internal stress of the SiC wafer is reduced by removing the work-affected layer in the work-affected layer removal step.

A device for manufacturing a SiC substrate, in which formation of macro-step bunching is suppressed, comprises: a main body container that is capable of accommodating a SiC substrate and generates, by heating, a vapor pressure of gaseous species containing Si elements and gaseous species containing C elements, in an internal space; and a heating furnace that accommodates the main body container and performs heating so that a vapor pressure of the gaseous species containing Si elements is generated and a temperature gradient is formed, wherein the main body container has an etching space S1 and a Si vapor supply source capable of supplying Si vapor into the main body container, the etching space S1 being formed by making the SiC substrate face a portion of the main body container arranged on a lower-temperature side of the temperature gradient while the SiC substrate is disposed on a higher-temperature side of the temperature gradient.

A device for manufacturing a SiC substrate, in which formation of macro-step bunching is suppressed, comprises: a main body container that is capable of accommodating a SiC substrate and generates, by heating, a vapor pressure of gaseous species containing Si elements and gaseous species containing C elements, in an internal space; and a heating furnace that accommodates the main body container and performs heating so that a vapor pressure of the gaseous species containing Si elements is generated and a temperature gradient is formed, wherein the main body container has an etching space S1 and a Si vapor supply source capable of supplying Si vapor into the main body container, the etching space S1 being formed by making the SiC substrate face a portion of the main body container arranged on a lower-temperature side of the temperature gradient while the SiC substrate is disposed on a higher-temperature side of the temperature gradient.

A device for manufacturing a SiC substrate, in which the occurrence of a work-affected layer is reduced, or from which a work-affected layer is removed, comprises: a main container which can accommodate a SiC substrate and which generates, by heating, a vapor pressure of a vapor-phase species including elemental Si and a vapor-phase species including elemental C in an internal space; and a heating furnace for accommodating the main container, generating a vapor pressure of the vapor-phase species including elemental Si in the internal space, and heating so that a temperature gradient is formed; the main container having an etching space formed by causing a portion of the main container disposed on the low-temperature side of the temperature gradient and the SiC substrate to face each other in a state in which the SiC substrate is disposed on the high-temperature side of the temperature gradient.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparatus, systems, and methods of using atomic hydrogen radicals with epitaxial deposition. In one aspect, nodular defects (e.g., nodules) are removed from epitaxial layers of substrate. In one implementation, a method of processing substrates includes selectively growing an epitaxial layer on one or more crystalline surfaces of a substrate. The epitaxial layer includes silicon. The method also includes etching the substrate to remove a plurality of nodules from one or more non-crystalline surfaces of the substrate. The etching includes exposing the substrate to atomic hydrogen radicals. The method also includes thermally annealing the epitaxial layer to an anneal temperature that is 600 degrees Celsius or higher.

In the present invention, a chemical-vapor-deposition silicon carbide (SIC) bulk having an improved etching characteristic includes silicon carbide (SIC) manufactured by a chemical vapor deposition method using MTS (methyltrichlorosilane), hydrogen (H.sub.2), and nitrogen (N.sub.2) gases. The SIC manufactured by the chemical vapor deposition method is β-SiC (3C-SiC), and 6H-SiC is present in the SIC manufactured by the chemical vapor deposition method. Five peaks having a reference code of 03-065-0360 and a peak having a reference code of 00-049-1428 are confirmed to be present from XRD analysis of the silicon carbide bulk, and a nitrogen concentration value is 4.0×10.sup.18 atoms/cm.sup.3 or more at a depth of 1,500 nm or more from the surface of the bulk, which is a metastable layer.