Growth and emission properties of β-SiC nanorods

A one step procedure has been developed to grow beta-silicon carbide (β-SiC) nanorods from a solid carbon and silicon source on silicon substrates using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The growth process was catalyzed by the impurities of metallic particles confined in the solid source plate made of a mixture of graphite and silicon powders pressed at 150°C. Hydrogen was introduced into a reaction chamber to react with the solid source. The resulting process produced, hydrocarbon and hydrosilicon radicals, which subsequently reacted on the Si substrate surface and presumably formed SiC nanorods. The nanorods consisted of a crystalline β-SiC core with an amorphous silicon oxide shell layer. The nanorods were 10-30 nm in diameter and less than 1 μm in length. Field emission characteristics of the β-SiC nanorods were investigated using current-voltage measurements and the Fowler-Nordheim equation. The silicon carbide nanorods exhibited high electron field emission with high stability. Along with the ease of preparation, these silicon carbide nanorods are believed to have potential application in electron field emitting devices.