Growth rate and morphology of silicon carbide whiskers from polycarbosilane

The growth rate of silicon carbide whiskers grown from polycarbosilane was measured and the growth morphology was investigated. The plot of whisker length vs. growth time was almost linear up to a certain growth time but tended to become time-saturated, independent of growth temperature. Cessation of whisker growth was caused by a change of the growth process from vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) to vapor–solid (VS). Decrease in whisker length with growth time was observed in the higher temperature range. Arrhenius plots of growth rate were almost linear in the lower temperature range, but deviated markedly from linearity in the higher temperature range. This deviation was caused by the coexistence of the VS process and the VLS process during whisker growth.