β-SiC nanorods synthesized by hot filament chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

A one-step procedure has been developed to grow β-SiC nanorods from a solid carbon and silicon source on a Si substrate by hot filament chemical vapor deposition. This process is catalyzed by metallic particles which come from impurities in the solid source which is a plate made by pressing a mixture graphite and silicon powders at 150 °C. Hydrogen was introduced into the reaction chamber to react with the solid plate to produce hydrocarbon and hydrosilicon radicals which presumably reacted to form SiC nanorods. The nanorods consisted of a crystalline β-SiC core with an amorphous silicon oxide shell layer and grew along the [100] direction. The nanorods were 10–30 nm in diameter and less than 1 μm in length.