Silicon Carbide Index of Refraction

Silicon carbide (commonly referred to as carborundum) is an industrial material with multiple uses. Composed of hexagonal Wurtzite crystal structure, silicon carbide has various uses in industry; while beta variants with zinc blende structures offer less commercial potential.

Laboratory extinction spectra for grains made of a-SiC closely match those seen from astronomy observations. Measurement and theory both confirm its index of refraction.

The Refractive Index

Silicon carbide (commonly referred to as carborundum) is an extremely hard chemical compound consisting of silicon and carbon. While commonly used as an abrasive, silicon carbide has also proven essential in high temperature/high voltage electronics due to its excellent thermal conductivity, electric field strength, maximum current density characteristics and thermal conductivity properties. Silicon carbide also holds promise as a nonlinear photonic material from near infrared wavelengths to the mid infrared region.

As with many materials, silicon carbide has a refractive index which depends on the wavelength of light passing through it. Standard refractive index measurements typically use the “yellow doublet” sodium D line at 589 nanometers to obtain standard measurements. While temperature and pressure/stress can affect its index value, its performance tends to remain fairly consistent over time; other influences can include its composition – although these effects tend to have minor percent-level impacts.

Silicon carbide’s index can still change with thickness, which is essential knowledge when designing optical systems that include this material. A good example is illustrated in Figure 9(a), showing how 4H-SiC films with increasing C to Si ratio vary their high-frequency refractive index over time (high frequency refractive index variation with C to Si ratio).

As the ratio increases, high-frequency refractive index decreases and direct bandgap widens due to an increasing concentration of free charge carriers causing the material structure to alter.

Low-frequency refractive index of 4H-SiC also varies with its ratio of carbon to silicon, but more slowly. This variation can be attributed to increasing concentrations of impurities which alter its atomic structure, leading to variations.

Silicon carbide comes in various polymorph forms. Most common among them is alpha SiC, formed at temperatures over 1700 degC with hexagonal crystal structure resembling Wurtzite. Beta SiC, with zinc blende crystal structure formed below this threshold temperature range is less popular and only finds use in certain commercial applications.

The Extinction Coefficient

The extinction coefficient measures how a material’s refractive index affects its ability to absorb light. A higher extinction coefficient means more light will be absorbed; as light travels from air into denser media like SiC, its velocity decreases and bends according to its refractive index; this factor also determines what proportion of light transmission or reflection occurs, which impacts visual appeal of coatings.

Silicon carbide’s refractive index and extinction coefficient depend on its deposition conditions, which can influence its physical properties. For instance, increasing gas flow ratio during deposition leads to greater density in the coating’s structure. This results in an increase in its extinction coefficient value as more dense coating is created.

Researchers have also noted that the extinction coefficient of silicon carbide coatings deposited under high deposition chamber pressure varies with pressure of deposition chamber, with lower values seen for coatings deposited at higher pressure than low. This may be attributed to carbon’s reduction of wavelength transmission below 400nm resulting in lower extinction coefficients of silicon carbide coatings deposited with this deposition method.

The extinction of coatings is determined by their thickness and porosity, with thicker and more porous materials having lower extinction coefficients that transmit more light. Furthermore, PECVD silicon carbide coatings deposited under higher nitrogen concentrations tend to show greater interference maxima than their counterparts deposited at lower concentrations.

In this study, the refractive index and extinction coefficient of 2H SiC was measured using a UV-Vis transmission spectrometer at different wavelengths from 435.8 to 650.9nm using an ordinary index and extraordinary index formula respectively. Plotted against wavelength, these measured values were fitted into an ordinary index vs extraordinary index formula for analysis; an average value for the extinction coefficient at 546.1 nm was found to be 0.0616 which indicates it is nearly uniform among all samples at that wavelength.

The Physical Factor

Silicon carbide (SiC) is an inorganic chemical compound composed of carbon and silicon, often found as the rare mineral moissanite in nature. SiC is mass produced as powder or crystal for use as an abrasive or ceramic plates in bulletproof vests; larger single crystals can also be sintered into single gems to decorate surfaces or worn as jewelry. With excellent thermal conductivity, chemical resistance and low thermal expansion properties it makes an excellent material choice for high temperature environments demanding increased power density.

Silicon carbide’s physical properties make it an attractive material for photonic applications, including photon capture. Its wide energy gap, good thermal conductivity and high electric field breakdown strength make it ideal for photonic applications; in combination with rigidity and low thermal expansion it makes an excellent material choice for telescope mirrors such as those found on Herschel and Gaia space observatories.

Silicon carbide boasts low optical loss and high transmittance at wavelengths of interest, making it an excellent material choice for laser applications due to its excellent electrical conductivity and electric field breakdown strength.

Silicon carbide’s hardness and thermal stability combine with its excellent hardness characteristics to make it a superior material for powering satellites and space probes. This is particularly evident in large disks of polycrystalline silicon carbide used as mirrors in astronomical telescopes using chemical vapor deposition techniques; such disks can reach diameters up to 3.5 meters (11.5 feet).

Astronomical observations make use of measurements that allow scientists to detect extinction and transmission spectra of celestial bodies, providing scientists with key data about their properties and behavior. Such spectra provide key insight into radius and compositional data for stars and galaxies; laboratory extinction spectra of grains of a-SiC match up well with observed data, enabling scientists to attribute features seen in images taken of stars and galaxies directly back onto particular celestial bodies.

The Pressure Dependence

Silicon carbide’s index of refraction varies with temperature and pressure in its environment, such as being placed on a substrate; its optical properties depend on which substrate type was chosen when depositing thin films of material onto it. Furthermore, this variation could exist within samples made up of identical material deposited onto different substrates, or between materials with similar characteristics.

Silicon carbide indices of refraction can be determined experimentally by measuring interference patterns created by laser beam reflections at various wavelengths. Measurements are made by shining light onto a wafer surface and observing what pattern forms when reflecting laser light reflects back; then this measurement process must be repeated under various temperatures and pressure conditions in order to establish its index of refraction value.

Silicon Carbide is an exceptionally useful material due to its high melting point, electrical conductivity and thermal stability properties. Furthermore, its resistance to corrosion makes it suitable for high power electronic devices that operate at higher frequencies and broader band gaps.

Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC), also referred to as silicon dioxide carbide, is an extremely flexible material. a-SiC can be tailored into various crystalline structures and compositions through variations in composition or its ratio of silicon to carbon and density ratio, offering further control of optical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Deposition methods also can allow H:SiC content for further optimization of properties.

A-SiC can be produced using either the Lely process, which involves growing a mixture of silicon and carbon in an argon gas environment at 2500 degrees Celsius before crystallization at lower temperatures; or through plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silane, hydrogen, and nitrogen. A-SiC typically forms cubic phases; however it can also form hexagonal, tetragonal, and monoclinic forms by increasing or decreasing growth temperatures.