In-situ analysis of the chemical vapor synthesis of nanocrystalline silicon carbide by aerosol mass spectrometry

An Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) is a combination of a Quadrupol- (QMS) and a Particle Mass Spectrometer (PMS) and enables the in-situ analysis of gas phase processes for the generation of nanoparticles. Size distributions of ultrafine silicon carbide particles in the range of 10(4) atomic mass units (amu) to 10(7) amu are measured in the PMS. Simultaneously, molecular species up to 300 amu can be detected in the QMS. Aerosols containing nanocrystalline silicon carbide are produced from tetramethylsilane (TMS) by thermal decomposition. In situ process analysis with the AMS as a function of process parameters was performed to elucidate the formation and growth mechanism of SiC nanoparticles.