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Published on: December 2, 2013
Structural modulation of silicon nanowires by combining a high gas flow rate with metal catalysts
Dongjea Seo1, Jaejun Lee1, Sung Wook Kim1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749 Korea.
Abstract:
We grew silicon nanowires (SiNWs) by a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism using metal catalysts of gold (Au), titanium (Ti), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) under a high flow rate of hydrogen (H2). This combination of catalyst types and high gas flow rate revealed the potential for growing various SiNWs, including kinked SiNWs (with Au), ultra-thin SiNWs having diameters about 5 nm (with Ti), rough-surfaced SiNWs (with Mn), and ribbon-shaped SiNWs tens of microns in width (with Fe). The high flow rate of gas affects the VLS mechanism differently for each combination; for example, it induces an unstable solid-liquid interfaces (with Au), active etching of the catalyst (with Ti), sidewall deposition by a vapor-solid (VS) mechanism, and an asymmetric precipitation of Si in the catalyst (with Fe). Our combinatorial approach may provide a new path for the structural modulation of SiNWs via the VLS mechanism.
Pacs:
80; 81; 82.
