Abstract
Precise surface preparation techniques to make atomically flat and defect-free SiC surfaces are strongly demanded in the next-generation semiconductor technology. However, effective technique does not exist particularly for surface smoothing. This research investigates the possibility of flattening silicon carbide (SiC) surface by a novel abrasive-free planarization method utilizing iron (Fe) catalytic reaction. To demonstrate the probability of flattening SiC surface, we conducted the experiment which rubs SiC surface softly with an iron wire selected as a catalyst under the hydrogen peroxide solution. After that, the surface on SiC substrate, where an iron wire contacted, was observed and evaluated in detail. The obtained results show that a hard SiC surface in contact with an iron wire can be removed markedly and the obtained surface has atomic-level flatness along the rubbing direction.
