Effect of seed layer on the growth of well-aligned ZnO nanowires

We demonstrate that vertical well-aligned crystalline ZnO nanowire arrays were grown on ZnO/glass substrates by a low-temperature solution method. Different thicknesses of ZnO seed layers on glass substrates were prepared by radio-frequency sputtering. In this work it was found that the morphology of ZnO nanowires strongly depends on the thickness of ZnO seed layers. The average diameter of nanowires is increased from 50 to 130 nm and the nanowire density is decreased from 110 to 60 μm⁻² while the seed layer thickness is varied from 20 to 1000 nm. The improved control of the morphology of ZnO nanowire arrays may lead to an enhanced carrier collection of hybrid polymer photovoltaic devices based on ZnO.     

Catalyst-free growth of well-aligned arsenic-doped ZnO nanowires by chemical vapor deposition method

ZnO nanowires with different arsenic concentration were grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates by chemical vapor deposition method without using catalyst. Zn/GaAs mixed powders were used as Zn and As source, respectively. Oxygen was used as oxidant. The images of scanning electron microscope show that the arsenic-doped ZnO nanowires with preferred c-axial orientation were obtained, which is in well accordance with the X-ray diffraction analysis. The arsenic related acceptor emission was observed in the photoluminescence spectra at 11 K for all arsenic-doped ZnO samples. This method for the preparation of arsenic-doped ZnO nanowires may open the way to realize the ZnO nanowires based light-emitting diode and laser diode.     

Non-catalytic growth of high aspect-ratio ZnO nanowires by thermal evaporation

High-density and high aspect-ratio ZnO nanowires were grown on Si(100) substrates by the thermal evaporation of metallic zinc powder without the use of metal catalysts or additives. The as-grown nanowires had diameters in the range of 60-100 nm with lengths 5-15 μm. Detailed structural characterization indicated that the obtained nanowires are single-crystalline with a perfect hexagonal facet and surfaces. The room temperature PL spectrum exhibited strong UV emission, affirming that the as-grown products have good optical properties. The possible growth mechanism for the formation of hexagonal-faceted and perfect surface ZnO nanowires is also discussed.     

Synthesis of epitaxial Si(100) nanowires on Si(100) substrate using vapor–liquid–solid growth in anodic aluminum oxide nanopore arrays

The synthesis of epitaxial Si nanowires with growth direction parallel to Si [100] on Si(100) substrate was demonstrated using a combination of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template, catalytic gold film sandwiched between the template and the Si(100) substrate and vapor-liquid-solid growth using SiH₄ as the Si source. After growing out from the AAO nanopores, most Si nanowires changed their diameter and growth direction into larger diameter and 〈111〉 direction. PACS 81.07.-b; 82.45.Cc     

RHEED studies of Si(100) surface structures induced by Ga evaporation

Si(100) surface structures induced by Ga molecular beam deposition in an ultra-high vacuum have been investigated using a reflection high-energy electron diffraction system (RHEED). It has been found that the Ga evaporation of submonolayer thickness on a clean Si(100) 2 × 1 surface produces surface structures of Si(100) 3 ×2, 5 × 2, 2 ×2 and 8 × 1 sequentially in the temperature range from 350 to 680° C. The RHEED patterns and a two-dimensional phase diagram including five superstructures are presented.     

硅(001)图形衬底上锗硅纳米线的定位生长

纳米线的定位生长是实现纳米线量子器件寻址和集成的前提.结合自上而下的纳米加工和自下而上的自组装技术,通过分子束外延生长方法,在具有周期性凹槽结构的硅(001)图形衬底上首先低温生长硅锗薄膜然后升温退火,实现了有序锗硅纳米线在凹槽中的定位生长,锗硅纳米线的表面晶面为(105)晶面.详细研究了退火温度、硅锗的比例及图形周期对纳米线形成与否,以及纳米线尺寸的影响.     

Oxide-assisted growth of silicon nanowires by carbothermal evaporation

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have successfully been synthesized by carbothermal evaporation method. By ramping-up the furnace system at 20 °C min⁻¹ to 1100 °C for 6 h, the vertically aligned coexist with crooked SiNWs were achieved on the silicon substrate located at 12 cm from source material. The processing parameters such as temperature, heating rate, duration, substrate position and location are very important to produce SiNWs. Morphology and chemical composition of deposited products were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The existence of small sphere silicon oxide capped nanowires suggested that the formation of SiNWs was governed by oxide-assisted growth (OAG) mechanism.     

Growth of Cu(In,Ga)S2 on Si(100) substrates by multisource evaporation

Cu(In,Ga)S₂ films were grown on Si(100) by vacuum evaporation using the constituent elementary substances as sources. It was found from X-ray diffraction studies that orientational growth occurred in a limited temperature region. The chalcopyrite structure was confirmed by studying RHEED patterns. The existence of c-axis growth, two kinds of a-axis growth and four kinds of {112} twins which can be classified as two symmetrical pairs is proposed.     

Long Si nanowires with millimeter-scale length by modified thermal evaporation from Si powder

A modified thermal evaporation processing is reported to fabricate silicon nanowires starting from Si powder under normal pressure. In a temperature range of 1250–1290 °C, long single-crystal Si nanowires with an amorphous layer were grown in relative large quantity, and they had a millimeter-scale length and a uniform diameter of about 100 nm. A high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image indicated that the growing direction of the long Si nanowires is [111]. PACS 81.07.Bc     

Boundary layer-assisted chemical bath deposition of well-aligned ZnO rods on Si by a one-step method

ZnO seed layers and well-aligned ZnO single-crystalline micro/nanorods were synthesized on bare Si in one step without the assistance of catalysts by chemical bath deposition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction patterns show that the alignment of ZnO rods on Si(100) could be adjusted by varying the substrates’ angles of incline, the reaction temperature, and the precursor concentration. Transmission electron microscopy cross-sectional images demonstrate that a polycrystalline seed layer with (0002) preferred orientation was formed between the well-aligned rods and Si substrate placed vertically while a randomly oriented layer was formed between the randomly aligned rods and Si substrate placed horizontally. The formation of seed layers and alignment of as-synthesized ZnO rods were attributed to the assistance of boundary layers in a chemical bath deposition system.     

Surfactant-mediated growth of CoSi2 on Si(100)

Thin co-deposited CoSi₂ films grown at 500–600°C on Si(100) are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). With a Si rich deposition we observe initially the formation of elongated three-dimensional CoSi₂ islands. The use of one preadsorbed atomic layer of As as a surfactant results in a drastic increase of the island density. This effect appears to be a consequence of a decreased rate of surface diffusion of Co and Si. At higher coverages the roughness of the CoSi₂ film is reduced considerably by the surfactant. The results are discussed with regard to the method of allotaxy which allows the fabrication of buried silicide layers. Here, the requirements for small precipitates and high growth temperature can possibly be met more efficiently using As as a surfactant.     

Unidirectional hexagonal rare-earth disilicide nanowires on vicinal Si(100)-2×1

Rare-earth disilicide nanowires grown on vicinal Si(100) with a miscut of 2–2.5° toward the [110] azimuth at 600 °C were studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and compared with those grown on flat Si(001). In contrast to rare-earth disilicide nanowires grown on flat Si(100) surfaces, the nanowires grow unidirectionally along the [01̄1] direction of the vicinal Si(100) surface. Rare-earth disilicide nanowires form bundles composed of single nanowire units on both flat and vicinal surfaces. Yet, on the vicinal surface, the bundle width is comparable to the width of the terrace. The average nanowire length on the vicinal substrate is longer than that on the flat substrate. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy shows that the rare-earth disilicide nanowires have metallic properties. PACS 81.07.Vb; 81.16.Dn; 68.65.La; 68.37.Ef     

STM observation of pit formation and evolution during the epitaxial growth of Si on Si(001) surface

Pit formation and surface morphological evolution in Si(001) homoepitaxy are investigated by using scanning tunneling microscopy. Anti-phase boundary is found to give rise to initial generation of pits bound by bunched D B steps. The terraces break up and are reduced to a critical nucleus size with pit formation. Due to anisotropic kinetics, a downhill bias diffusion current, which is larger along the dimer rows through the centre area of the terrace than through the area close to the edge, leads to the prevalence of pits bound by {101} facets. Subsequent annealing results in a shape transition from {101}-faceted pits to multi-faceted pits.     

Structural evolution of self‐assisted GaAs nanowires grown on Si(111)

GaAs nanowires are grown on Si(111) by self‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy, and the ratio between wurtzite and zinc‐blende phases is determined as function of nanowire length using asymmetric X‐ray diffraction. We show that under the applied growth conditions, nanowires grow in both phases during the initial stage of growth, whereas the zinc‐blende content increases with growth time and dominates in long nanowires. Compared to the zinc‐blende units, the vertical lattice parameter of the wurtzite segments is 0.7% larger, as measured by the positions of respective diffraction peaks. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Characterization of ZnO:Si nanocomposite films grown by thermal evaporation

Composite films were fabricated by co-evaporating Zinc Oxide with Silicon at room temperatures. The resulting films had polycrystalline grains of Zinc Oxide whose grain size were few hundred nanometers, embedded in the silicon matrix. These nanocrystalline grains of ZnO showed good photoluminescence emission at 520 nm along with a photoluminescence emission at 620 nm being contributed by the silicon background. Thus, the nanocomposite films gave a board emission, making it a potentially useful candidate for optoelectronic devices. The photo-luminescent property of the films was found to be stable since the homgenously dispersed ZnO nanocrystals were not allowed to agglomerate by the silicon background.