Optical properties of SiC for crystalline/amorphous pattern fabrication

The optical contrast between crystalline and ion beam amorphized regions in SiC has been studied by transmission spectrometry for photon energies ranging up to the ultraviolet. The working range of such an optical device with crystalline/amorphous patterns, e.g., for use as a photolithographic mask, is extended to considerably higher photon energies than with Si as a recording material. Thus, SiC, in the form of thin crystalline layers on a transparent substrate, is a promising candidate for submicron structuring in various fields of application.