Frédéric Schuster. SiC coatings grown by liquid injection chemical vapor deposition using single source metal-organic precursors. Surface and Coatings Technology, Elsevier, 2013, vol. 215, pp. 152-160. 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2012 SiC coatings have been grown by direct liquid injection of organosilanes in a hot-wall chemical vapor deposition reactor (DLICVD). 1,3-disilabutane (DSB) and polysilaethylene (PSE) were used as single-source precursors. Amorphous and stoichiometric SiC coatings were deposited under low pressure on various substrates in the temperature range of 923-1073 K. Thickness gradients due to the temperature profiles and the precursor depletion were observed along the reactor axis but the thickness uniformity could be improved as a function of the deposition conditions. Growth rates as high as 90 μm·h −1 were obtained using pure precursors. The injection of PSE solutions in toluene significantly reduces the deposition rate due to the decrease of the PSE mole fraction but allows a better control of the growth rates and the microstructure of coatings. They exhibit a smooth surface morphology and a very dense structure. The films grown using pure precursors exhibit an Si:C atomic ratio equal to 1:1 while those using toluene solutions are slightly C-rich (54 at.% C). The presence of solvent vapor in the CVD reactor becomes a source of carbon contamination at deposition temperatures equal to or higher than 1073 K. The influence of the growth conditions is discussed, in particular the presence of toluene vapor.
