Surface microstructure and wetting of SiC ceramic modified by ion bombardment

Ion bombardment is one of the powerful methods to modify the surface characteristics of materials. In this study, SiC ceramic is bombarded under different fluences by 60 keV Ar-ion beam. The effects of Ar ion bombardment on the surface microstructure and subsequent wetting of SiC ceramic using AgCu-Ti filler metal are investigated. Ar ion bombardment can break the SiC bond of SiC cell, thus, SiCx(x < 1), SiCx(x < 1) twins and the amorphous layer are generated in the SiC surface with the increase of fluence from 1×1014/cm2 to 1×1017/cm2. With the increase of fluences, the contact angle decreases by the acceleration of interfacial reaction rate as a result of the break of SiC bond in SiC surface in the rapid spreading stage. The amorphous layer is gradually formed in the SiC surface, requiring more time to reach the equilibrium stage for droplets, while the bonding quality of the SiC/AgCu-Ti wetting interface is obviously improved. Significant modification in the microstructural and excellent wetting behavior are obtained by leveraging the ion bombardment technique.