Incubation behavior of silicon nanowire growth investigated by laser-assisted rapid heating
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1740 (United States)
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794 (United States)
We investigate the early stage of silicon nanowire growth by the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism using laser-localized heating combined with ex-situ chemical mapping analysis by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy. By achieving fast heating and cooling times, we can precisely determine the nucleation times for nanowire growth. We find that the silicon nanowire nucleation process occurs on a time scale of ∼10 ms, i.e., orders of magnitude faster than the times reported in investigations using furnace processes. The rate-limiting step for silicon nanowire growth at temperatures in the vicinity of the eutectic temperature is found to be the gas reaction and/or the silicon crystal growth process, whereas at higher temperatures it is the rate of silicon diffusion through the molten catalyst that dictates the nucleation kinetics.
- OSTI ID:
- 22590514
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 109; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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