Silicon Carbide Nano-Semiconductors: Materials Growth, Integration, and Characterization

This thesis explores the synthesis, characterization, and integration of silicon carbide (SiC) nanosheets, using both bottom-up and top-down approaches. As a wide bandgap semiconducting material with high thermal capability, and excellent properties, SiC is a leading material for high-power and high-temperature applications. SiC has been used successfully for quantum information science, as it can host defects, that can serve as a single-photon source for these systems. Despite these advantages, there is a need for a new generation SiC semiconductors such as silicon carbide nanosheets technologies that are compatible with the ever-increasing demands for smaller, thinner, faster, and more flexible and multi-functional components and devices. By employing techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and liquid phase exfoliation (LPE), this study aims to produce and study atomically thin SiC nanosheets for various applications. The CVD growth offers a unique opportunity towards the synthesis of high quality SiC nanosheets directly on the substrate and enables the large-scale production of these materials. Advanced spectroscopy tests such as confocal Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the structure of the grown materials. The application of the grown materials for optoelectrical devices was also assessed. Through the investigation of the synthesis processes, integration of the grown materials into various substrate, and detailed characterization of the produced nanosheets, this research lays the groundwork for the large-scale growth of 2D SiC and related materials, paving the way for next-generation semiconductor devices and silicon carbide nanosheet-based quantum technologies.