Electrical Contacts on Silicon Nanowires Produced by Metal-Assisted Etching: a Comparative Approach

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are crucial for nanoelectronic devices.
• Metal-assisted chemical etching can produce SiNWs with low porosity and rough surfaces.
• Achieving reliable electrical contacts on such rough SiNWs is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare two distinct methods for fabricating electrical contacts on rough silicon nanowire devices.
• To enable reliable electrical measurements on SiNWs produced via metal-assisted chemical etching.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of silicon nanowires using metal-assisted chemical etching.
• Comparison of Focused Ion Beam (FIB)-assisted platinum deposition for electrical contact formation.
• Comparison with Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) technique for electrical contact formation.

Main Results:

• Both FIB-assisted platinum deposition and EBL technique were explored for creating electrical contacts.
• The study focused on overcoming challenges associated with wiring rough SiNW surfaces.
• The feasibility of using FIB for contact fabrication on rough SiNWs was assessed.

Conclusions:

• Focused Ion Beam (FIB)-assisted platinum deposition offers a potential method for fabricating electrical contacts on rough silicon nanowires.
• This technique provides an alternative approach to Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) for enabling electrical measurements on challenging SiNW devices.
• Further optimization may enhance the reliability and performance of FIB-generated contacts.