Although SiCl
4 vapour diluted with N
2 is heated up to the temperature of 800°C with Cu, the thermal decomposition of SiCl
4 as well as exchange reaction between SiCl
4 and Cu do not take place, therefore “Siliconizing” is not carried is not. However, when Cu and Si-powder are placed side by side and are heated between 600°C and 800°C in an atmosphere of N
2 containing SiCl
4 vapour, Cu-specimen is siliconized. It is considered that SiCl
4 plays the role of Si-carrier from the surface of Si to the surface of Cu by the reversible reaction (n-1)Si+(n+1)SiCl_4 \
ightleftarrows2Si_nCl_2n+2and hence the siliconizing of Cu proceeds. Effects of various conditions on siliconized amounts seem to be same as that of other cementation process, i.e. the higher the reaction temperature, the higher the concentration of SiCl
4 and the longer the reaction time, the weight increase as well as the width of penetrating layer of siliconized Cu become the greater.
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