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Deposition of Nanostructured Silicon Carbide Thin Films: A Review
Haytham Elgazzar and Y.H. Elbashar
Silicon carbide (SiC) is considered one of the most important ceramic materials used for several industrial sectors because of its physical, chemical and mechanical properties. However, the progress of SiC is limited by the high defect density of the substrate. In addition, the difficulties in the processing steps necessary for full-scale production. Thus, the need for epitaxial layers of SiC is favored. The epitaxial layers of SiC are used to improve the properties of the chosen substrate. Recently, nanostructured SiC thin films received great attention due to their superior properties in comparison with bulk SiC. Several deposition techniques were used to deposit SiC thin films. Among these, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) appears as a potential technique for the deposition of nanostructured SiC films. It offers unique advantages over other competing deposition techniques such as high deposition rate over a wide range of depositing temperatures, complex stoichiometry film deposition, flexibility and relatively inexpensive. This paper highlights the different deposition techniques of SiC thin films with much emphasis on PLD process beside the SiC properties and applications.
Keywords: Silicon carbide, thin films, nanostructure materials, pulsed laser deposition, chemical vapor deposition