F. Vivet et al., SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SIC-H ULTRAFINE POWDER GENERATED INAN ARGON-SILANE-METHANE LOW-PRESSURE RADIOFREQUENCY DISCHARGE, Journal of applied physics, 83(12), 1998, pp. 7474-7481
The peculiarity of dusty plasma reactors offers a convenient way to ob
tain processed particles at submicronic levels, with successive layers
of different materials grown by using pulsed gas flows, and different
plasma chemistries in succession. This concept is applied to the synt
hesis of silicon carbide (SIC) particles. In this paper two significan
t situations are reported showing that particles can be synthesized wi
th different properties by varying the process parameters (gas-flow ha
ndling, radio-frequency power level). These properties include broad o
r narrow size dispersion, almost crystalline or amorphous structure, a
nd widely varying Si/C stoichiometry. Monosized particles with high sp
ecific surfaces have been obtained by a two-step growth process by usi
ng limited radio-frequency power. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physi
cs.