silicon carbide

2 definitions found

silicon carbide - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Carborundum \Car`bo*run"dum\ (k[aum]r`b[-o]*r[u^]n"d[u^]m), [a
     trade name, from Carbon + corundum.]
     A beautiful crystalline compound, silicon carbide (SiC),
     consisting of carbon and silicon in combination; -- also
     called carbon silicide. It is made by heating carbon and
     sand together in an electric furnace. The commercial article
     is dark-colored and iridescent. It is harder than emery, and
     is used as an abrasive.
     [Webster 1913 Suppl.] carborundum cloth

silicon carbide - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  silicon carbide
      n 1: an extremely hard blue-black crystalline compound (SiC)
           used as an abrasive and a heat refractory material;
           crystals of silicon carbide can be used as semiconductors