The surface composition of silicon carbide powders and whiskers: An XPS study

Abstract

The surface composition and bonding of a wide variety of silicon carbide powders and whiskers have been characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Ultrafine SiC powders, grown by a radio frequency plasma process, have been shown to exhibit graphitic carbon and a thin suboxide coating. Whiskers of SiC, grown in a vapor-liquid-solid or proprietary commercial process, were generally covered by heavier oxides than the powders and to a variable degree showed silica-like bonding. Most of the materials were subject to sample charging. Procedures were developed to estimate these charging effects and interpret the complete catalog of XPS spectra from these materials with respect to Fermi-level assignments. Charge independent quantities, such as oxygen Auger parameter and O(1s)–Si(2p) peak position difference, were found to agree with accepted values in the literature while exhibiting trends consistent with suboxide and silica bonding assignments. The data give a broad basis for understanding the feedstock surface chemistry which is involved during fabrication of monolithic or composite silicon carbide materials.