Surface engineering of SiC via sublimation etching

We present a technique for etching of SiC which is based on sublimation and can be used to modify the morphology and reconstruction of silicon carbide surface for subsequent epitaxial growth of various materials, for example graphene. The sublimation etching of 6H-, 4H- and 3C-SiC was explored in vacuum (10−5 mbar) and Ar (700 mbar) ambient using two different etching arrangements which can be considered as Si-C and Si-C-Ta chemical systems exhibiting different vapor phase stoichiometry at a given temperature. The surfaces of different polytypes etched under similar conditions are compared and the etching mechanism is discussed with an emphasis on the role of tantalum as a carbon getter. To demonstrate applicability of such etching process graphene nanoribbons were grown on a 4H-SiC surface that was pre-patterned using the thermal etching technique presented in this study.