Low pressure chemical vapor deposition of niobium coating on silicon carbide

Nb coatings were prepared on a SiC substrate by low pressure chemical vapor deposition using NbCl ₅ . Thermodynamic calculations were performed to study the effect of temperature and partial pressure of NbCl ₅ on the final products. The as-deposited coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The Nb coatings are oriented and grow in the preferred (2 0 0) plane and (2 1 1) plane, at 1173 K and 1223-1423 K, respectively. At 1123-1273 K, the deposition is controlled by the surface kinetic processes. The activation energy is found to be 133 kJ/mol. At 1273-1373 K, the deposition is controlled by the mass transport processes. The activation energy is found to be 46 kJ/mol. The growth mechanism of the chemical vapor deposited Nb is also discussed based on the morphologies and the deposition rates.