Piezoresistive effect of p-type single crystalline 3C–SiC on (111) plane

Abstract

This paper presents for the first time the effect of strain on the electrical conductivity of p-type single crystalline 3C–SiC grown on a Si (111) substrate. 3C–SiC thin film was epitaxially formed on a Si (111) substrate using the low pressure chemical vapor deposition process. The piezoresistive effect of the grown film was investigated using the bending beam method. The average longitudinal gauge factor of the p-type single crystalline 3C–SiC was found to be around 11 and isotropic in the (111) plane. This gauge factor is 3 times smaller than that in a p-type 3C–SiC (100) plane. This reduction of the gauge factor was attributed to the high density of defects in the grown 3C–SiC (111) film. Nevertheless, the gauge factor of the p-type 3C–SiC (111) film is still approximately 5 times higher than that in most metals, indicating its potential for niche mechanical sensing applications.