Abstract
In this study, Si-SiC composites were fabricated using a Si melt infiltration method using ${\beta}$-SiC/C composite powders synthesized by the carbothermal reduction of $SiO_2-C$ precursors made from a TEOS and a phenol resin. The purity of the synthesized SiC-C composite powders was higher than 99.9993 wt% and the average particle size varied from 4 to $6{\mu}m$ with increasing carbon contents of the $SiO_2-C$ precursors. It was found that the Si-SiC composites fabricated in this study consist of ${\beta}$-SiC and residual Si, without any trace of ${\alpha}$-SiC. The 3-point bending strengths of the fabricated Si-SiC composites were measured and found to be higher than 550 MPa, although the density of the fabricated Si-SiC composite was less than $2.9g/cm^3$. The bending strengths and the densities of the fabricated Si-SiC composites were found to decrease with increasing C/Si mole ratios in the SiC-C composite powders. The specific resistivities of the Si-SiC composites fabricated using the SiC-C composite powders were less than $0.018{\Omega}cm$. With increasing C content in the SiC-C composite powders used for the fabrication of Si-SiC composites, the specific resistivity of the Si-SiC composites was found to slightly increase from 0.0157 to $0.018{\Omega}cm$.