β-SiC nanorods synthesized by hot filament chemical vapor deposition

A one-step procedure has been developed to grow beta-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 degrees 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 beta-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 mu m in length. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)03426-9].