Polytypic silicon carbide (SiC) heterostructures are poised to become a next-generation platform for solid-state quantum technologies. This project will lay the foundation for the world’s first SiC chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis system compatible with high-energy x-ray diffraction and microscopy. By enabling fundamental in-situ studies of synthesis, such a system is critical to the identification and control of hetero-polytypic SiC structures.

Realizing such a system is a technological challenge. Thus, the goal of this project is to identify, mitigate and demonstrate the feasibility of the most challenging aspects of the design problem: How does one integrate coherent hard x-ray scattering with a CVD growth chamber operating at 2000˚ C? Ultimately, this work will culminate in a working high-temperature x-ray compatible chamber that is forward compatible with a full CVD chamber design for studies at the Advanced Photon Source, providing a critical step towards optimized synthesis of promising SiC polytypic heterostructures and delivering unique capabilities to Argonne.