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Effects of Low‐Pressure Oxidation on the Surface Composition of Single Crystal Silicon Carbide
Author(s) -
Song Yongwei,
Smith Frederick W.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2005.00357.x
Subject(s) - silicon carbide , materials science , phase diagram , etching (microfabrication) , substrate (aquarium) , silicon , carbide , carbon fibers , layer (electronics) , oxygen , decomposition , thermal decomposition , chemical engineering , phase (matter) , mineralogy , thermodynamics , chemistry , composite material , metallurgy , composite number , geology , oceanography , physics , organic chemistry , engineering
We report on thermodynamic modeling and experimental studies of the reaction of oxygen with the 4H‐ and 6H‐SiC surfaces at high temperatures T . It is observed that this reaction leads to the growth of passivating SiO 2 layers at high pressures P (O 2 ), etching of the surface at lower P (O 2 ), and enhancement of the surface segregation of carbon at still lower P (O 2 ). A unified P (O 2 )– T phase diagram for the reaction of O 2 with SiC is presented and a thermodynamic model predicting these three distinct reaction regions is described. Evidence for the thermal decomposition of the SiO 2 layer due to its reaction with the SiC substrate is also presented.