6. Summary

In this chapter, the incorporation of dopant elements (such as N, P, B, Al and O) during the growth of SiC thin films has been described. The influence of each dopant type on the properties of SiC films was discussed. Furthermore, the challenges and trends related to the SiC thin film technology for device applications were discussed. The literature has shown that a-SiC and c-SiC films have maintained the most relevant properties observed in different polytypes of SiC substrates. However, to obtain high quality films is necessary to optimize the growth conditions. This review has indicated that using low temperature growth processes and in situ doping are the trend to produce high quality SiC thin films compatible with microelectronic and MEMS technologies. Particular attention should be directed to grow large area uniform SiC films on Si and insulator/Si substrates, which is essential to make lowcost devices.

Regarding the SiC-based thin film applications, it was showed that these films have been widely used in electronic and MEMS devices such as diodes, TFTs, sensors, RF MEMS and BioMEMS. It is important to underline that the use of SiC films in the amorphous or crystalline form, doped or not, should be evaluated in terms of their properties. Much has been studied about the use of a-SiC films due to the fact of its ease of integration with the rising technologies, especially those that use temperature-sensitive substrates. Today, the area of b10-applications is a good example of this kind of requirement.
