Pore wall thinning of mesoporous 4H-SiC by sacrificial oxidation

Pore wall thinning of mesoporous 4H-SiC by sacrificial oxidation is performed. The dimensions within the as-etched porous SiC are reduced during dry oxidation at 1100°ree;C by consuming SiC and removing the grown SiO₂ in the subsequent hydrofluoric acid (HF) dip step. The process reduces the average pore wall thickness from 27 nm to approximately 16 nm and reduces the thickness standard deviation from ±5 to ±1.4 nm for the investigated 9 h oxidation interval. The new pore wall thinning method will enable controlled nanoscale size reduction capability for mesoporous 4H-SiC derived nanostructures.