Preparation and characterization of freestanding SiC(Ti, B) films derived from polycarbosilane with TiN and B as additives

Freestanding SiC(Ti, B) films with high temperature resistance were fabricated from polymer precursor of polycarbosilane (PCS) blended with 0.26 wt% TiN and 0.74 wt% B powders. Results reveal that SiC(Ti, B) films with good mechanical properties are uniform and dense. After high temperature annealing at 1500 °C in argon, SiC(Ti, B) films exhibit better high temperature resistance as compared to SiC films without additives, which implies their potential applications in ultra-high temperatures (exceeding 1500 °C) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Sintering additives are effective in suppressing the growth of SiC crystals and decreasing the content of oxygen and free carbon, which is normally beneficial to enhance high temperature resistance of films.