Heat treatment of 6H-SiC under different gaseous environments

Silicon carbide is a useful material for the reactors in chemical processes. In recent years, microreactors have gained significant attentions due to the high demand for process miniaturization. As heat and mass-transfer are highly improved inside the gas flow channels in microreactors, any change on the surface of inner channels under heating becomes critical to the performance of microreactors. To investigate the surface changes of silicon carbide during the heat treatment, 6H-SiC coupons were processed in five different gases—Ar, N2, air, 0.9% O2 in Ar and 50% H2O in air—that are commonly encountered in high temperature chemical processes. While the formation of oxide film was found to be dependent on the partial pressure of oxidizing gas, surface decomposition was found from the treatment in nitrogen environment. Characterization of the SiC surface by Raman spectroscopy and SEM–EDX revealed that a graphitic layer has formed at the oxide film/SiC interface. Crystallinity of graphitic layer at the interface seemed to be dependent on the partial pressure of oxidizing gas, which was revealed by the relationship between G peak position and R(ID/IG). The intensity ratio of FTO(0)/FTO(2/6) bands showed that stacking faults on the surface of SiC coupons were reduced after heat treatment.