Mechanical properties of 3C silicon carbide

Abstract

The residual stress and Young’s modulus of 3C silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxial films deposited on silicon substrates were measured by load-deflection measurements using suspended SiC diaphragms fabricated with silicon micromachining techniques. The film’s residual stress was tensile and averaged 274 MPa while the in-plane Young’s modulus averaged 394 GPa. In addition, the bending moment due to the residual stress variation through the thickness of the film was determined by measuring the deflection of free-standing 3C-SiC cantilever beams. The bending moment was in the range of 2.6×10−8–4.2×10−8 N m.