The atomic arrangement and bonding characteristics of void-free 3C-SiC/Si͑100͒ grown by the modified four-step method are presented. Without the diffusion step, Si-C bonds are partially formed in the as-carburized layer on Si͑100͒. The ratio of C-C bonds to Si-C bonds is about 7:3, which can be lowered to about 1:9 after the diffusion step at 1350°C for 5 min or at 1300°C for 7 min according to C 1s core level spectra. The residual C-C bonds cannot be removed, which is associated with an

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... ar atomic arrangement ͑amorphous͒ located either at the 3C-SiC/Si͑100͒ interface or at the intersection of twin boundaries in the 3C-SiC buffer layer based on the lattice image taken by transmission electron microscope. The diffusion step helps the formation of Si-C bonds more completely and results in a SiC buffer layer of high quality formed on Si͑100͒ before the growth step. However, twins and stacking faults still appear in the 3C-SiC buffer layer after the diffusion step. The formation mechanism of the 3C-SiC buffer layer is proposed and discussed.