SiC formation at the interface of polyimide Langmuir–Blodgett film and silicon

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to explore the process of the interaction between the polyimide film made by the Langmuir–Blodgett method and the substrate Si(111). It is evident that the process includes three stages: The polymer degrades below temperature of about 500 °C resulting in some hydrocarbon species on the surface; at higher temperatures the residual hydrocarbons convert to some state of elemental carbon and then diffuse into the substrate to form ‘‘C–Si alloy’’ which is regarded as a precursor of SiC formation; SiC starts to form at about 700 °C and grows at higher temperatures.