Characterization of β-SiC surfaces and the Au/SiC interface

The chemistry of the β-SiC surface has been studied with Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The chemically etched surface was found to be nearly stoichiometric, with only a small amount of adsorbed oxygen, which appears to be localized on the Si states. Ion sputtering caused the surface to become Si rich. Compared to Si, the β-SiC surface was very resistant to oxidation by air exposure at room temperature and when annealed in O2 at 300 °C. In addition, essentially no reaction occurred between Au and etched β-SiC even after extensive heat treatment.