Coated silicon carbide cermet used in a plasma reactor

Abstract

A complexly shaped Si/SiC cermet part including a protective coating deposited on a surface of the cermet part facing the plasma of the reactor. The cermet part is formed by casting a SiC green form and machining the shape into the green form. The green form is incompletely sintered such that it is unconsolidated and shrinks by less than 1% during sintering. Molten silicon is flowed into the voids of the unconsolidated sintered body. Chemical vapor deposition or plasma spraying coats onto the cermet structure a protective film of silicon carbide, boron carbide, diamond, or related carbon-based materials. The part may be configured for use in a plasma reactor, such as a chamber body, showerhead, focus ring, or chamber liner.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.