Nanoporous Silicon Carbide for Nanoelectromechanical Systems Applications
A major goal of this project is to produce porous silicon carbide (PSiC) via an electroless process for eventual utilization in nanoscale sensing platforms. Results in the literature have shown a variety of porous morphologies in SiC produced in anodic cells. Therefore, predictability and reproducibility of porous structures are initial concerns. This work has concentrated on producing morphologies of known porosity, with particular attention paid toward producing the extremely high surface areas required for a porous flow sensor. We have conducted a parametric study of electroless etching conditions and characteristics of the resulting physical nanostructure and also investigated the relationship between morphology and materials properties. Further, we have investigated bulk etching of SiC using both photo-electrochemical etching and inductively-coupled-plasma reactive ion etching techniques.