SiC nanowire vapor–liquid–solid growth using vapor-phase catalyst delivery

A method of growing SiC nanowires (NWs) on 4H–SiC surfaces by in situ vapor-phase catalyst delivery was developed as an alternative to the ex situ deposition of the metal catalyst on the targeted surfaces before the NW chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth. In the proposed method, sublimation of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of materials research Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 50 - 56
Main Authors Thirumalai, Rooban Venkatesh K.G., Krishnan, Bharat, Davydov, Albert V., Merrett, J.Neil, Koshka, Yaroslav
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 14.01.2013
Springer International Publishing
Springer Nature B.V
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Summary:A method of growing SiC nanowires (NWs) on 4H–SiC surfaces by in situ vapor-phase catalyst delivery was developed as an alternative to the ex situ deposition of the metal catalyst on the targeted surfaces before the NW chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth. In the proposed method, sublimation of the catalyst from a metal source placed in the hot zone of the CVD reactor, followed by condensation of the catalyst-rich vapor on bare substrate surface was used to form the catalyst nanoparticles required for the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth of SiC NWs. The NW density was found to gradually decrease downstream from the catalyst source and was influenced by both the gas flow rate and by the catalyst diffusion through the boundary layer above the catalyst source. Formation of poly-Si islands at too low value of the C/Si ratio created preferential nucleation centers for misaligned SiC NWs and NW bushes. The flexibility of controlling the nanoparticle density made this technique suitable for NW growth on horizontal surfaces as well as on patterned SiC substrates, including the vertical sidewalls of SiC mesas.
ISSN:0884-2914
2044-5326
DOI:10.1557/jmr.2012.208