Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Monolayer Contact Doping of Silicon Surfaces and Nanowires Using Organophosphorus Compounds
09:45

Monolayer Contact Doping of Silicon Surfaces and Nanowires Using Organophosphorus Compounds

Published on: December 2, 2013

8.0K

Solid-Liquid-Vapor Etching of Semiconductor Nanowires.

Ho Yee Hui1, Michael A Filler1

  • 1School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta 30332, Georgia United States.

Nano Letters
|September 19, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Scientists discovered a new solid-liquid-vapor (SLV) mechanism that etches semiconductor nanowires by removing catalyst atoms. This process allows for in situ tuning of semiconductor atom concentration in catalyst droplets.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Optical Properties of Microgeodes: Microcapsules Containing Silicon Nanowires.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2025
Same author

Salt-Assisted Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth of 1D van der Waals Materials.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2024
Same author

Programming Semiconductor Nanowire Composition with Sub-100 nm Resolution via the Geode Process.

Nano letters·2022
Same author

Impact of Porosity and Boundary Scattering on Thermal Transport in Diameter-Modulated Nanowires.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2021
Same author

Bottom-up nanoscale patterning and selective deposition on silicon nanowires.

Nanotechnology·2021
Same author

One-dimensional twisted and tubular structures of zinc oxide by semiconductor-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid synthesis.

Nanotechnology·2020

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism is a standard method for bottom-up semiconductor nanowire growth.
  • Controlling nanowire dimensions and composition during growth is crucial for device performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate a novel etching mechanism for semiconductor nanowires.
  • To explore the selective removal of catalyst atoms from eutectic catalyst droplets.
  • To establish a new method for in situ tuning of semiconductor atom concentration.

Main Methods:

  • Demonstration of a reverse process involving selective catalyst atom removal.
  • Utilizing 2,3-butanedione as a dicarbonyl precursor to drive the etching process.
  • Conducting experiments varying substrate temperature, etchant flow rate, and nanowire diameter.
Keywords:
Semiconductor nanowireetchinggermaniumsiliconvapor−liquid−solid mechanism

More Related Videos

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles
08:39

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Published on: October 16, 2017

13.3K
Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
14:58

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping

Published on: June 3, 2015

15.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Monolayer Contact Doping of Silicon Surfaces and Nanowires Using Organophosphorus Compounds
09:45

Monolayer Contact Doping of Silicon Surfaces and Nanowires Using Organophosphorus Compounds

Published on: December 2, 2013

8.0K
Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles
08:39

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Published on: October 16, 2017

13.3K
Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
14:58

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping

Published on: June 3, 2015

15.5K

Main Results:

  • Axial nanowire etching was achieved through catalyst atom removal.
  • Experimental data supports a solid-liquid-vapor (SLV) mechanism.
  • An etch model with reaction at the liquid-vapor interface as the rate-limiting step aligns with observations.

Conclusions:

  • A new solid-liquid-vapor (SLV) mechanism for nanowire etching has been identified.
  • This SLV mechanism provides a method to precisely control semiconductor atom concentration within the catalyst droplet.
  • The findings offer new possibilities for in situ manipulation of nanowire properties.