A study of growth properties of SiC whiskers at various temperatures and input gas ratios on different Si substrates

In this study, SiC whiskers and films were grown on Si substrates with a carbon buffer layer. No metallic catalyst was used that might act as an impurity or a barrier on the tip of the whisker. The deposition temperature was varied between 1000°C and 1100°C, and the input gas ratio, α [H ₂/MTS] was set at 30, 40, and 50. We used bare Si and surface polished Si (SiC abrasive paper) as substrates to simulate different surface conditions. Growth properties that were examined by SEM and TEM depended on the temperature and the input gas ratio. The chemical compositions of deposits were investigated using XPS.