SiC nanorods of highly preferred orientation prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Abstract

SiC films were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using an Si target and acetylene as the reaction gas to investigate optimal parameters for achieving SiC nanorods with complete (111) preferred orientation. The authors demonstrated that SiC nanorods with this preferred orientation can be synthesized on Al2O3 (0001) substrates at a deposition temperature higher than 850 °C. Sputtering gas pressure had considerable effects on the density of SiC nanorod arrays. The deposition parameters such as sputtering gas pressure, substrate temperature, bias voltages, substrate materials, and power were varied to optimize the quality of SiC crystal structure. The nanorods were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The results demonstrate the formation of high-quality SiC nanorod arrays using this method with optimized conditions.