CVD grown silicon carbide is ideal performance material for silicon wafer processing. It outperforms conventional forms of silicon carbide, as well as other ceramics, quartz, and metals. The combination of excellent thermal, electrical, and chemical properties makes this material well-suited to applications for RTP, epi, etch, implant, and across various industries where a high performance material requires. CVD SiC ceramics are brittle and sensitive to flaws. As a result, the structural integrity of ceramic component may be seriously affected. Crack- healing ability of CVD SiC ceramics is a very useful technology for higher structural integrity and for reducing the machining and non-destructive inspection costs. This study focuses on CVD SiC ceramic performance and its crack-healing behaviors were investigated as a function of crack-healing temperature, time, size, and temperature dependence of the resultant bending strength. Three-point bending specimens were made and a semielliptical crack was introduced on the specimen by a Vickers indenter. Pre-cracked specimens were healed at various temperature conditions. The main conclusions were: (1) CVD grown SiC has cubic β‚ structure, it offers isotropic characteristics. (2) Optimized crack-healing condition is; temperature: 1500 oC, 1 hr in air. (3) The bending strength is increased as testing temperature increased, means the material can be safely used up to a temperature of 1500 oC with a good retention of thermal and mechanical properties.

Keywords: Crack-healing, Silicon carbide, CVD, Mechanical properties