The films of B-SiC were prepared from the methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) by low pressure chemical vapor deposition onto the graphite substrates. The results revealed that the growth rate of ~-SiC increased with the MTS flux; besides, the growth rate increased to a maximum and then decreased with increasing deposition temperature. The preferred orientation of the films was examined by x-ray diffraction, and was found to exhibit a (220) texture in the films of high growth rate and/or long deposition time. The structural morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Observed features indicated the twin plane reentrant edge (TPRE) mechanism as responsible for the B-SiC growth. The growth features of particulate crystals (e.g., dendrites, whiskers, needles) were identified, and also could be interpreted in terms of the TPRE mechanism.Silicon carbide (SIC) is a refractory compound with much promise for certain electronic, optical, and structural applications. Its wide energy bandgap and high saturated drift velocityshould make it a useful high temperature semiconductor. By virtue of its intrinsic oxidation, corrosion and creep resistance at high temperature, as well as its high thermal conductivity, extreme hardness, low neutron absorption cross section, and excellent resistance to chemical attack and thermal shock, SiC is of considerable interest in several fields of science and technology connected with the production or transformation of energy. Additionally, SiC is an excellent infrared transmitting material because it has a cutoff in the IR beyond 5.5 ~m (1-3). The cubic form of B-SiC has a forbidden energy gap of 2.3 eV. This poly-type is also relatively easy to grow at relatively low temperatures via solution or vapor phase deposition routes.B-SiC crystals have been grown by many investigators using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) (4-6) 9 In these papers, methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) was most frequently used, because it has a 1:1 molar ratio of silicon to carbon which results in the deposition of a dense stoichiometric SiC deposit. Essentially, all the studies were concerned with the growth or characterization of SiC. Additionally, the microstructure and the growth mechanism of deposits have also been discussed by several investigators (6-8). The growth mechanism determines the nature of defects and the form of the particulate crystals (e.g., dendrite, whisker, needle), both of which are of prime importance in all applications. The particulate crystal growth, especially in the CVD process, is even more evident as the growth time increases. So, a better understanding of the growth mechanism may aid in improving the quality of crystal and obtaining a larger size crystal.In this paper, crystals of ~-SiC were chemically vapor deposited on graphite substrates by thermal decomposition of CH3SiC13 carried in a flowing hydrogen. An important objective of this study was to characterize the growth mechanism of the R-SiC by investigating the microstructure of the...