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Evaluating Plasmonic Transport in Current-carrying Silver Nanowires
Published on: December 11, 2013
Plasma effects in semiconducting nanowire growth.
Kostya Ken Ostrikov1, Dong Han Seo, Hamid Mehdipour
1Plasma Nanoscience Centre Australia (PNCA), CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, P.O. Box 218, Lindfield, NSW 2070, Australia. Kostya.Ostrikov@csiro.au
Nanoscale
|September 28, 2011
Summary
Low-temperature plasma enhances semiconducting nanowire growth, enabling faster nucleation, thinner wires, and lower temperatures. This approach offers environmentally friendly and energy-efficient fabrication for advanced nanoelectronic devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Plasma Physics
Background:
- Semiconducting nanowires are crucial for next-generation nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and energy devices.
- Controlling nanowire nucleation, growth, environmental impact, and energy efficiency are critical challenges.
- Current fabrication methods often involve toxic precursors and high temperatures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate plasma-specific effects for improved semiconducting nanowire fabrication.
- To showcase control over nucleation, growth, environmental friendliness, and energy efficiency.
- To present case studies on silicon (Si) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires.
Main Methods:
- Catalytic growth of Si nanowires using low-temperature plasma.
- Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for Si nanowire networks without catalysts.
- Plasma-enhanced CVD for ZnO nanowire synthesis.
Main Results:
- Plasma significantly increases Si nanowire growth rates and enables faster nucleation at lower temperatures.
- Si nanowire networks were fabricated without catalysts or Si precursors, offering an eco-friendly alternative.
- ZnO nanowires were synthesized at lower temperatures via plasma-enhanced CVD without compromising quality.
Conclusions:
- Low-temperature plasma offers significant advantages for semiconducting nanowire fabrication.
- Plasma-based methods provide effective control over growth, reduce environmental impact, and improve energy efficiency.
- These advancements are vital for developing next-generation nanoelectronic, optoelectronic, energy, and sensing devices.
