Surface carbonization of Si(1 1 1) using CH, as the carbon source was performed at 1343 K and 5 Torr in a thermal chemical vapor deposition reactor. The evolution of the carbonization process as a function of the CH, treatment time was investigated using atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy analytical techniques. It was found that at a C,H, partial pressure of 5.0 x 10(-2) Torr, the initial SiC nucleation proceeds to increase the surface roughness up to 0.2 nm after 5 min carbonization. When the carbonization is performed up to 8 min, the SiC nuclei saturate, reducing the surface roughness back to its original value at a saturation SiC thickness of about 1.4 nm. Subsequent SiC(1 1 1) epitaxial growth on the 8 min-carbonization surface was found to have a smooth surface morphology and void-free interface. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.