Analysis of SiC Islands Formation during First Steps of Si Carbonization Process

The effect of the temperature at which the carbon source is introduced in the reactor on the early stages of the carbonization process is analyzed here. Three samples heated up to 1150ºC with propane introduction temperatures (Tintro) of 725, 1030 and 1100ºC are analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and attenuated total reflectance. The size of the SiC nuclei increases with Tintro. There is also an effect on the strain of the resulting carbonization layer. The electron diffraction pattern of the sample with the highest Tintro shows a fully relaxed 3C-SiC layer, while no evidence of SiC relaxation is present in low Tintro samples where the SiC islands seems to be pseudomorphic.