Structural investigation of epitaxial 2H-SiC–α-Al2O3 1-D heterostructures

Abstract

2H-SiC–α-Al₂O₃ epitaxial heterostructures in a 1-D nanosystem were achieved via a simple CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process. Detailed structural characterizations and elemental analyses were carried out using methods such as elemental mapping, EELS (electron energy loss spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and Raman spectroscopy, which identified the amounts of Al atoms that occupied the Si sites in the SiC lattice and that a small quantity of oxygen atoms were found on the SiC side. The carbon atoms dissolve in the Al₂O₃ crystal, substituting the oxygen elements, and there is only a small amount of Si in the Al₂O₃ part. These results supply a comprehensive understanding about the interface and information about the atoms that diffuse between 2H-SiC and α-Al₂O₃. We hope that this work contributes to the design of SiC–Al₂O₃ based epitaxial heterostructures.