ABSTRACT
SiC is a compound of silicon and carbon with a chemical formula
SiC. Naturally occurring SiC is found only in poor quantities. SiC
compounds are probably among themost promisingmaterials in the
near future. The potential applications are out of scope this book
(for an introduction and major advances see Choyke (2004) and
Feng (2004)). We just list the interesting properties that justify this
interest: the hardness (almost as hard as diamond), the extreme
resistance to chemicals and radiation, a very high melting point
and operating temperature. The semiconductor industry is also
interested in it because of its exceptional electrical properties: a
wide bandgap, a high electron mobility, high breakdown electric
field, saturated electron drift velocity, a good thermal conductivity.
And last but not least, SiC compounds are biocompatible. This being
said, let us focus on the elementary description of SiC.
