Growth of amorphous silicon nanowires

• Published in: Chemical physics letters Vol. 341; no. 5; pp. 523 - 528
• Main Authors: Liu, Z.Q., Zhou, W.Y., Sun, L.F., Tang, D.S., Zou, X.P., Li, Y.B., Wang, C.Y., Wang, G., Xie, S.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 29.06.2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Physics; Quantum wires; Catalytic reaction; Semiconductor materials; Catalysts; Gold alloys; Bifurcation; VLS growth; Amorphous state; Experimental study; CVD; Alignment; Palladium alloys; Nonmetals; Chemical preparation; Growth mechanism; Silicon; Nanostructured materials; Transition element alloys
• ISSN: 0009-2614; 1873-4448
• DOI: 10.1016/S0009-2614(01)00513-9

We have grown vertically aligned amorphous silicon nanowires on Au–Pd co-deposition silicon oxide substrate by thermal chemical vapor deposition using SiH 4 gas at 800°C. The diameter of silicon nanowires is in the range 10–50 nm and the length is about 1 μm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations show that the grown silicon nanowires are of an amorphous state and some of nanowires appear to bifurcate in the vertically growth process. The effect of H 2 gas etchings on the catalytic size and the effect of catalytic size on the formation of the vertical growth nanowires are discussed.