Cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) synthesized with different methods was investigated as the anode material of low-temperature solid ceramic fuel cells because of high electron mobility, excellent thermal and mechanical stability, and high electrochemical reactivity towards redox-based reactions as well as low leakage current. The sample prepared via the carbothermal reduction method has multiple phases of cubic SiC (JCPDS 01-075-0254), SiO2 (01-076-0933), and quartz (00-008-0415), respectively. Further samples developed using hydrothermal and solid-state methods show the cubic structure of SiC with JCPDS No. 01-073-1708. Fourier transform spectroscopy confirms the presence of Si-C, Si-C and Si-O bonds in the synthesized material. Raman analysis shows the transverse optical line of Si-C stretching mode in all three samples at 801 cm-1. Thermal analysis reveals that the sample prepared using the solid-state method is more stable due to negligible weight loss and less decomposition during thermal heat treatment. The microstructure of materials synthesized using the solid-state method has more porosity, and therefore, better electrical conductivity of 1.1 Scm-1 is obtained compared to other samples synthesized by the hydrothermal method and carbothermal reduction method, respectively. The cell reached the maximum power density of 100 mW cm-2 with an open circuit voltage of 1.1 V at 550 degrees C. This work demonstrates an innovative synthesis method for 3C-SiC and novel material for developing highly efficient anode materials of solid ceramic fuel cells.

We present a comparative study of the C-face and Si-face of 3C-SiC(111) grown on off-oriented 4H-SiC substrates by the sublimation epitaxy. By the lateral enlargement method, we demonstrate that the high-quality bulk-like C-face 3C-SiC with thickness of ~1 mm can be grown over a large single domain without double positioning boundaries (DPBs), which are known to have a strongly negative impact on the electronic properties of the material. Moreover, the C-face sample exhibits a smoother surface with one unit cell height steps while the surface of the Si-face sample exhibits steps twice as high as on the C-face due to step-bunching. High-resolution XRD and low temperature photoluminescence measurements show that C-face 3C-SiC can reach the same high crystalline quality as the Si-face 3C-SiC. Furthermore, cross-section studies of the C- and Si-face 3C-SiC demonstrate that in both cases an initial homoepitaxial 4H-SiC layer followed by a polytype transition layer are formed prior to the formation and lateral expansion of 3C-SiC layer. However, the transition layer in the C-face sample is extending along the step-flow direction less than that on the Si-face sample, giving rise to a more fairly consistent crystalline quality 3C-SiC epilayer over the whole sample compared to the Si-face 3C-SiC where more defects appeared on the surface at the edge. This facilitates the lateral enlargement of 3C-SiC growth on hexagonal SiC substrates.

Smart Specialization (RIS3) is an innovative approach/strategy to bring together local authorities, academia, businesses and society to boost growth and jobs in Europe. It prioritizes domains, areas and economic activities where regions have a competitive advantage.

We introduce an innovation model to facilitate translation of ideas and knowledge into regional implementation. Instead of focusing on technology, the innovator / entrepreneur himself is in focus. The proposed model is based on the Buurtzorg model which originally focusses on supporting patients in health care, and which has an onion frame: the patient is surrounded by informal network (family, etc), next is the Buurtzorg support team, and final level is the formal network (society). The individuals need are steering the health care support, rather than adapting it to the social and economic constraints of the health care system. The team consists of specialists who decide how they organize the work, share responsibilities and make decisions. The team is self-managing and with entrepreneurial spirit.

We will argue in this paper that a support mechanism as innovation model may be applicable to regional capacity building, and the support acts as a clustering process. Clusters are often limited by geographical constraints, such as having a number of local actors in a certain field. Clustering may be based on other values than given by physical ones.

Our model approach is based on that there are innovators who have visionary ideas which are outside their traditional business. They could potentially be of great important for regional growth since they will create value chains, jobs etc, but given the non traditional innovation character they will not be realized unless there is a support mechanism. Similar to the Buurtzorg model, there is a team of specialists that will support the innovator and the innovator informal network. The specialist team has competencies related to smart specialization, regional growth etc (formal network).

When RIS3 is applied to broad areas like advanced materials or nanotechnology such a mediation becomes highly complex. Both these areas include an extremely broad range of areas, examples include anything from food (through modifying functional properties by physical and chemical changes), digital communication or connected systems (new materials’ approaches for faster processors or use of higher/faster band frequencies), to construction related materials (buildings, transport, etc). Very likely they do not have actors located geographically close to create a cluster.

For synergistic effects, activities in the RIS3 within advanced materials can be linked to other fields, as well as to implementation synergies. If the smart specialization of advanced materials can interact with efforts in building competence, smart industry, sustainable production, automation, digitalization etc, the advanced materials could then find a value chain in specific avenues instead of building ones in its own area. This is a viable route to hold together the fragmented and broad character of advanced materials field, where transferring/translation activities (competence, technical, etc) are a binding agent. Therefore, the specialist team is crucial for such transfer, and a core element in an innovation model.

Boron (B) has the potential for generating an intermediate band in cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC), turning this material into a highly efficient absorber for single-junction solar cells. The formation of a delocalized band demands high concentration of the foreign element, but the precipitation behavior of B in the 3C polymorph of SiC is not well known. Here, probe-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and secondary-ion mass spectrometry are used to investigate precipitation mechanisms in B-implanted 3C-SiC as a function of temperature. Point-defect clustering was detected after annealing at 1273 K, while stacking faults, B-rich precipitates and dislocation networks developed in the 1573 - 1773 K range. The precipitates adopted the rhombohedral B13C2 structure and trapped B up to 1773 K. Above this temperature, higher solubility reduced precipitation and free B diffused out of the implantation layer. Dopant concentrations E19 at.cm-3 were achieved at 1873 K.

Multilayer graphene has exhibited distinct electronic properties such as the tunable bandgap for optoelectronic applications. Among all graphene growth techniques, thermal decomposition of SiC is regarded as a promising method for production of device-quality graphene. However, it is still very challenging to grow uniform graphene over a large-area, especially multilayer graphene. One of the main obstacles is the occurrence of step bunching on the SiC surface, which significantly influences the formation process and the uniformity of the multilayer graphene. In this work, we have systematically studied the growth of monolayer and multilayer graphene on off-axis 3CSiC(111). Taking advantage of the synergistic effect of periodic SiC step edges as graphene nucleation sites and the unique thermal decomposition energy of 3CSiC steps, we demonstrate that the step bunching can be fully eliminated during graphene growth and large-area monolayer, bilayer, and four-layer graphene can be controllably obtained on high-quality off-axis 3CSiC(111) surface. The low energy electron microscopy results demonstrate that a uniform four-layer graphene has been grown over areas of tens of square micrometers, which opens the possibility to tune the bandgap for optoelectronic devices. Furthermore, a model for graphene growth along with the step bunching elimination is proposed.

Silicon carbide (SiC) surface cleaning and etching (wet, electrochemical, thermal) are important technological processes in preparation of SiC wafers for crystal growth, defect analysis or device processing. While removal of organic, particulate and metallic contaminants by chemical cleaning is a routine process in research and industrial production, the etching which, in addition to structural defects analysis, can also be used to modify wafer surface structure, is very interesting for development of innovative device concepts. In this book chapter we review SiC chemical cleaning and etching procedures and present perspectives of SiC etching for new device development.

Sublimation-grown 3C-SiC crystals were implanted with B ions at elevated temperature (400 °C) using multiple energies (100 to 575 keV) with a total dose of 1.3×1017 atoms/cm2 in order to form intermediate band (IB) in 3C-SiC. The samples were then annealed at 1400 °C for 60 min. An anomalous area in the center was observed in the PL emission pattern. The SIMS analysis indicated that the B concentration was the same both within and outside the anomalous area. The buried boron box-like concentration profile can reach ~3×1021 cm-3 in the plateau region. In the anomalous area a broad emission band (possible IB) emerges at around ~1.7-1.8 eV, which may be associated with B-precipitates having a sufficiently high density.

Sublimation-grown 3C-SiC crystals were implanted with 2 atomic percent of boron ions at elevated temperature (400 °C) using multiple energies (100 to 575 keV) with a total dose of 8.5×10¹⁶ atoms/cm². The samples were then annealed at 1400, 1500 and 1600 °C for 1h at each temperature. The buried boron box-like concentration profile can reach ~2×10²¹ cm^-3 in the plateau region. The optical activity of the incorporated boron atoms was deduced from the evolution in absorption and emission spectra, indicating possible pathway for achieving an intermediate band behavior in boron doped 3C-SiC at sufficiently high dopant concentrations.                    

In this work we present a significant advancement in cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) growth in terms of crystal quality and domain size, and indicate its potential use in photovoltaics. To date, the use of 3C-SiC for photovoltaics has not been considered due to the band gap of 2.3 eV being too large for conventional solar cells. Doping of 3C-SiC with boron introduces an energy level of 0.7 eV above the valence band. Such energy level may form an intermediate band (IB) in the band gap. This IB concept has been presented in the literature to act as an energy ladder that allows absorption of sub-bandgap photons to generate extra electron-hole pairs and increase the efficiency of a solar cell. The main challenge with this concept is to find a materials system that could realize such efficient photovoltaic behavior. The 3C-SiC bandgap and boron energy level fits nicely into the concept, but has not been explored for an IB behavior. For a long time crystalline 3C-SiC has been challenging to grow due to its metastable nature. The material mainly consists of a large number of small domains if the 3C polytype is maintained. In our work a crystal growth process was realized by a new approach that is a combination of initial nucleation and step-flow growth. In the process, the domains that form initially extend laterally to make larger 3C-SiC domains, thus leading to a pronounced improvement in crystalline quality of 3C-SiC. In order to explore the feasibility of IB in 3C-SiC using boron, we have explored two routes of introducing boron impurities; ion implantation on un-doped samples and epitaxial growth on un-doped samples using pre-doped source material. The results show that 3C-SiC doped with boron is an optically active material, and thus is interesting to be further studied for IB behavior. For the ion implanted samples the crystal quality was maintained even after high implantation doses and subsequent annealing. The same was true for the samples grown with pre-doped source material, even with a high concentration of boron impurities. We present optical emission and absorption properties of as-grown and boron implanted 3C-SiC. The low-temperature photoluminescence spectra indicate the formation of optically active deep boron centers, which may be utilized for achieving an IB behavior at sufficiently high dopant concentrations. We also discuss the potential of boron doped 3C-SiC base material in a broader range of applications, such as in photovoltaics, biomarkers and hydrogen generation by splitting water. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We demonstrate growth of thick SiC layers (100–200 µm) on nominally on-axis hexagonal substrates using sublimation epitaxy in vacuum (10⁻⁵ mbar) at temperatures varying from 1700 to 1975 °C with growth rates up to 270 µm/h and 70 µm/h for 6H- and 4H–SiC, respectively. The stability of hexagonal polytypes are related to process growth parameters and temperature profile which can be engineered using different thermal insulation materials and adjustment of the induction coil position with respect to the graphite crucible. We show that there exists a range of growth rates for which single-hexagonal polytype free of foreign polytype inclusions can be maintained. Further on, foreign polytypes like 3C–SiC can be stabilized by moving out of the process window. The applicability of on-axis growth is demonstrated by growing a 200 µm thick homoepitaxial 6H–SiC layer co-doped with nitrogen and boron in a range of 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ at a growth rate of about 270 µm/h. Such layers are of interest as a near UV to visible light converters in a monolithic white light emitting diode concept, where subsequent nitride-stack growth benefits from the on-axis orientation of the SiC layer.