Low temperature synthesis of β-SiC by a metal vapor vacuum arc ion source

β-SiC surface layers were synthesized by implantation of C⁺ into Si substrates at a comparatively low temperature of 400°C with a metal vapour vacuum arc ion source. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that these layers had a strong (111) preferred orientation. The amount of β-SiC formed increased significantly with the rise of the implantation dose, but the crystallinity of the layers formed relied little on the implantation dose. Both the broad X-ray diffraction peaks and the scanning electron microscopy photograph showed that the grain size of the sample with a dose of 7×10¹⁷ cm⁻² is relatively small.