At high temperatures around 1400 K in a hydrogen atmosphere, iron contamination on silicon is a concern, particularly regarding its phase behavior. Both iron and silicon exhibit measurable vapor pressures at elevated temperatures, but significant vaporization of iron is not expected. The discussion highlights that while ferrosilicon formation may occur, it is unlikely to vaporize in substantial amounts. The primary focus is on determining the retention of iron within silicon during high-temperature silicon epitaxy chemical vapor deposition processes. The consensus suggests that most iron will remain within the silicon matrix and diffuse throughout rather than transitioning to the gas phase, prompting the need for analytical methods to verify these assumptions.
