Microstructure of Silicon Carbide Whiskers Synthesized by Carbothermal Reduction of Silicon Nitride

The microstructure of silicon carbide whiskers synthesized by carbothermal reduction of silicon nitride has been studied using transmission electron microscopy. All of the whiskers examined are single crystals, and grow in the (111) crystallographic direction. Two different forms of stacking faults and microtwins were observed; in one the planar defects are normal to the whisker growth direction, and the other has the defect planes at an angle of about 70° to the growth axis, while both forms of the defects are on the 111] closed-packed planes. Without the addition of catalyst, droplets containing metallic impurities were not found at the tips of the whiskers synthesized by the present process. A core and outer regions were observed in the single-crystal whiskers, which may be evidence that the whiskers were formed by a two-stage mechanism.