Etching of hexagonal SiC surfaces in chlorine-containing gas media at ambient pressure

The modification of the silicon carbide (4H-SiC) single-crystal surface in a chlorine-containing gas mixture at high temperature (800–1000 °C) and ambient pressure was investigated. The results of silicon carbide chlorination are found to strongly depend on the hexagonal surface orientation. Due to the thermodynamically more favorable reaction of chlorine with silicon rather than carbon, the C-terminated side (0001¯) clearly undergoes...