Generation of Charged SiC Nanoparticles During HWCVD Process

Charged nanoparticles have been shown to be spontaneously generated in the gas phase in various chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Furthermore, it has been shown that these charged nanoparticles can contribute to the growth of thin films, nanowires, nanotetrapods and so on. Here, the generation of charged silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles in the gas phase during a hot wire CVD process was studied by capturing nanoparticles with a different delay time on a silicon monoxide membrane of the copper mesh grid for transmission electron microscope. The average size of SiC nanoparticles captured for 30 s increased from 2.9 to 6.1 nm with increasing delay time from 0 to 60 min. The deposition behavior of SiC films was affected by the applied bias on a substrate holder. A homo-epitaxial SiC film as thick as ~ 200 nm was grown under the substrate bias of − 200 V, whereas polycrystalline SiC films were grown under 0 V and + 15 V. It indicates that nanoparticles generated in the gas phase should be charged. Graphic Abstract