Spatially Resolved Raman Spectroscopy of Thin Carbon Interphase in SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

ABSTRACT A dedicated analysis method is presented to extract the Raman spectrum of an interphase layer thinner than the laser spot size. We focused on spatial correlations between the contrast of optical micrographs and Raman hyperspectral data to predict the constituents of the mixed spectra measured near the interphase. By employing a mapping step size of 0.1 μm, the Raman spectrum of approximately 0.3‐μm‐thick carbon interphase in a SiC fiber‐reinforced SiC matrix composite was extracted from data acquired with a theoretical spot size of about 0.7 μm. Notably, conventional chemometrics procedures were unable to isolate the interphase signal, instead producing a spectrum representing a mixture of interphase and matrix. This study used another composite with approximately 0.9‐μm‐thick interphase to validate the analysis method, enabling direct measurement of the interphase spectrum. The proposed Raman analysis method has advantages in specimen volume and turnaround time compared to traditional characterization methods, such as transmission electron microscopy. This study also evaluates the applicability of the analysis method to different composite materials and identifies key requirements of the measurements, including the ratio of interphase thickness to spot size and the homogeneity of the surrounding matrix.