Growth Of Single Crystalline Copper Nanowhiskers

Journal Article · Wed Nov 24 00:00:00 EST 2010 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3527143· OSTI ID:21506812

Kolb, Matthias ^[1]; Richter, Gunther ^[2]

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1. Institute for Materials Research, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)
2. Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)

Nanowhiskers are defect free single crystals with high aspect ratios and as result exhibit superior physical, e.g. mechanical properties. This paper sheds light on the kinetics of copper nanowhisker growth and thickening. Whisker growth was provoked by covering silicon wafers with a thin carbon film and subsequently coating them with copper by molecular beam epitaxy. The whiskers grown were examined by scanning electron microscopy and the length and diameter were measured as a function of the amount of copper deposited. The experiments show that nanowhisker growth follows Ruth and Hirth's growth model. A fit of the model parameters to the acquired data shows that adsorption of atoms on the substrate and on the whisker surface, with subsequent surface diffusion to the whisker tip, delivers by far the greatest portion of material for whisker growth. Additionally, the experiments demonstrate that the crystallographic orientation of the substrate surface greatly influences the growth rate in the early stage of whisker growth.

• OSTI ID: 21506812
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1300, Issue 1; Conference: 11. international workshop on stress-induced phenomena in metallization, Bad Schandau (Germany), 12-14 Apr 2010; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3527143; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ADSORPTION
ASPECT RATIO
ATOMS
CARBON
COPPER
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
DEPOSITION
DIFFUSION
FILMS
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
NANOSTRUCTURES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SILICON
SUBSTRATES
SURFACES
WHISKERS
CRYSTAL GROWTH METHODS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALS
DIMENSIONLESS NUMBERS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
EPITAXY
METALS
MICROSCOPY
MONOCRYSTALS
NONMETALS
SEMIMETALS
SORPTION
TRANSITION ELEMENTS