Synthesis of silicon carbide thin films with polycarbosilane (PCS)

Paolo Colombo, Thomas E. Paulson, Carlo G. Pantano

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140 Scopus citations

Abstract

Polycarbosilane (PCS) thin films were deposited on silicon (and other) substrates and heat treated under vacuum (∼10-6 torr) at temperatures in the range of 200°-1200°C. At temperatures in the range of 1000°-1200°C, the initially amorphous PCS films transformed to polycrystalline β-silicon carbide (β-SiC). Although PCS films could be deposited at thickness up to 2 μm, the films with thicknesses >1 μm could not be transformed to SiC without extensive cracking. The resulting SiC coatings were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, glancing-angle X-ray diffractometry, secondary-ion mass spectroscopy, Raman spectoscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The temperature and time dependence of the amorphous-to-crystalline transition could be associated with the evolution of free carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen in the films.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2333-2340
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of the American Ceramic Society
Volume80
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1997

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Materials Chemistry

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