Silicon carbide

Silicon carbide (SiC) or moissanite is a ceramic compound of silicon and carbon.

Synthetic silicon carbide crystal aggregate: iridescent twinned crystals in foreground with untwinned tabular crystals in background. They have a metallic lustre and are razor-sharp.

Most SiC is man-made for use as an abrasive (when it is often known by the trade name carborundum), or more recently as a semiconductor and moissanite gemstones. The simplest manufacturing process is to combine sand and carbon at a high temperature, between 1600°C and 2500°C. Purer product can be made by the more expensive process of continuous vapour deposition. Its high melting point (above 1600°C) makes it useful for bearings and furnace parts. It is also highly inert. There is currently much interest in its use in electronics, where its high thermal conductivity, high electric field breakdown strength and high maximum current density make it more promising than silicon for high-powered devices.