Infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy of polycrystalline silicon carbide

The polycrystalline structure of silicon carbide was investigated by infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The films were obtained by annealing in the temperature range 950-1250 degreesC of amorphous silicon carbide films deposited on a silicon substrate by PECVD, The broad absorption band at around 750 cm(-1) in the infrared spectrum of amorphous material after annealing at high temperature changes from a Gaussian to a Lorentzian shape, corresponding to the transition from an amorphous to a polycrystalline phase. The SiC peak becomes sharper with increasing the annealing temperature, this effect being related to the growth of crystalline grains. TEM microscopy indicates that the crystallisation occurs homogeneously in the films and the diffraction pattern shows that the film crystallises into cubic 3C-SiC. The distribution of polycrystalline grains as determined by TEM evidences an increase of the grain size with increasing the annealing temperature. A correlation between infrared peak width and mean grain radius has been found. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd, All rights reserved.