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Title: Identification of an Intrinsic Source of Doping Inhomogeneity in Vapor–Liquid–Solid-Grown Nanowires

Abstract

The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process of semiconductor nanowire growth is an attractive approach to low-dimensional materials and heterostructures because it provides a mechanism to modulate, in situ, nanowire composition and doping, but the ultimate limits on doping control are ultimately dictated by the growth process itself. Under widely used conditions for the chemical vapor deposition growth of Si and Ge nanowires from a Au catalyst droplet, we find that dopants incorporated from the liquid are not uniformly distributed. Specifically, atom probe tomographic analysis revealed up to 100-fold enhancements in dopant concentration near the VLS tri-junction in both B-doped Si and P-doped Ge nanowires. We hypothesize that radial and azimuthal inhomogeneities arise from a faceted liquid-solid interface present during nanowire growth, and we present a simple model to account for the distribution. As the same segregation behavior was observed in two distinct semiconductors with different dopants, the observed inhomogeneity is likely to be present in other VLS grown nanowires.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1177364
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-98432
47607; KP1704020
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Nano Letters, 13(1):199-206
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Nano Letters, 13(1):199-206
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Citation Formats

Connell, Justin G., Yoon, KunHo, Perea, Daniel E., Schwalbach, Edwin J., Voorhees, Peter W., and Lauhon, Lincoln. Identification of an Intrinsic Source of Doping Inhomogeneity in Vapor–Liquid–Solid-Grown Nanowires. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1021/nl3038695.
Connell, Justin G., Yoon, KunHo, Perea, Daniel E., Schwalbach, Edwin J., Voorhees, Peter W., & Lauhon, Lincoln. Identification of an Intrinsic Source of Doping Inhomogeneity in Vapor–Liquid–Solid-Grown Nanowires. United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl3038695
Connell, Justin G., Yoon, KunHo, Perea, Daniel E., Schwalbach, Edwin J., Voorhees, Peter W., and Lauhon, Lincoln. 2013. "Identification of an Intrinsic Source of Doping Inhomogeneity in Vapor–Liquid–Solid-Grown Nanowires". United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl3038695.
@article{osti_1177364,
title = {Identification of an Intrinsic Source of Doping Inhomogeneity in Vapor–Liquid–Solid-Grown Nanowires},
author = {Connell, Justin G. and Yoon, KunHo and Perea, Daniel E. and Schwalbach, Edwin J. and Voorhees, Peter W. and Lauhon, Lincoln},
abstractNote = {The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process of semiconductor nanowire growth is an attractive approach to low-dimensional materials and heterostructures because it provides a mechanism to modulate, in situ, nanowire composition and doping, but the ultimate limits on doping control are ultimately dictated by the growth process itself. Under widely used conditions for the chemical vapor deposition growth of Si and Ge nanowires from a Au catalyst droplet, we find that dopants incorporated from the liquid are not uniformly distributed. Specifically, atom probe tomographic analysis revealed up to 100-fold enhancements in dopant concentration near the VLS tri-junction in both B-doped Si and P-doped Ge nanowires. We hypothesize that radial and azimuthal inhomogeneities arise from a faceted liquid-solid interface present during nanowire growth, and we present a simple model to account for the distribution. As the same segregation behavior was observed in two distinct semiconductors with different dopants, the observed inhomogeneity is likely to be present in other VLS grown nanowires.},
doi = {10.1021/nl3038695},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1177364}, journal = {Nano Letters, 13(1):199-206},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 09 00:00:00 EST 2013},
month = {Wed Jan 09 00:00:00 EST 2013}
}