Silicon carbide ceramic

A method for producing silicon carbide ceramics, comprising:

• (1) a step of dispersing a raw material for forming silicon carbide, and a metal oxide in a dispersion medium;
• (2) a step of sintering the dispersion product obtained in step (1) under an inert gas atmosphere or a reducing atmosphere at a temperature of 1400 to 1890° C.;
• and
• (3) a step of heat-treating the sintered product obtained in step (2) under an oxidation atmosphere at a temperature of 800 to 1700° C. to form a silicon carbide ceramics product comprising a surface modification layer containing a silicate on silicon carbide ceramics as a matrix,
• wherein the metal oxide described in step (1) consists of one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of scandium oxide (Sc2O3), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), erbium oxide (Er2O3), ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3), and lutetium oxide (Lu2O3);
• wherein the silicate consists of one silicate selected from the group consisting of scandium silicate (Sc2Si2O7), yttrium silicate (Y2SiO5), erbium silicate (ErSiO5), ytterbium silicate (Yb2SiO5), ytterbium silicate (Yb2Si2O7), and lutetium silicate (LuSiO5);
• and
• wherein the surface modification layer comprises 50 wt % or more of the silicate, and
• wherein the silicon carbide ceramics product comprises a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of scandium oxide (Sc2O3), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), erbium oxide (E2O3), ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3), and lutetium oxide (Lu2O3).