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Article

Chemical Properties of Oxidized Silicon Carbide Surfaces upon Etching in Hydrofluoric Acid

Supporting Info

Sarit Dhar^†^‡, Oliver Seitz^§, Mathew D. Halls^§, Sungho Choi^†, Yves J. Chabal ^§^# and Leonard C. Feldman^†^#

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, Materials Science Division, Accelrys, Incorporated, San Diego, California, Institute for Advanced Materials, Devices and Nanotechnology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, and Device Materials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Republic of Korea

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, 131 (46), pp 16808–16813

DOI: 10.1021/ja9053465

Publication Date (Web): October 29, 2009

chabal@utdallas.edu, †

Vanderbilt University.

, ‡

Present address: Cree Inc., Durham, NC.

, §

University of Texas at Dallas.

Accelrys, Inc.

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology.

, #

Rutgers University.

Abstract

Hydrogen termination of oxidized silicon in hydrofluoric acid results from an etching process that is now well understood and accepted. This surface has become a standard for studies of surface science and an important component in silicon device processing for microelectronics, energy, and sensor applications. The present work shows that HF etching of oxidized silicon carbide (SiC) leads to a very different surface termination, whether the surface is carbon or silicon terminated. Specifically, the silicon carbide surfaces are hydrophilic with hydroxyl termination, resulting from the inability of HF to remove the last oxygen layer at the oxide/SiC interface. The final surface chemistry and stability critically depend on the crystal face and surface stoichiometry. These surface properties affect the ability to chemically functionalize the surface and therefore impact how SiC can be used for biomedical applications.

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