Spontaneous Growth of Ultra-Long SiO(x) Nanowires from SiC Thin Films by Thermal Annealing

The use of a simple thermal treatment for growing ultra-long SiO(x) nanowires on silicon carbide (SiC) thin films is reported for the first time. SiC thin films with a thickness of 100 nm were prepared by sputtering at room temperature followed by annealing in an Ar/H2 gas atmosphere. The growth of SiO(x) nanowires started when the annealing temperature was at 1200 degrees C, and was rapidly and spontaneously grown at temperatures above 1250 degrees C. The diameters of as-grown SiO(x) nanowires with lengths up to several hundred micrometers were determined to be -1 μm.