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Controlled synthesis of millimeter-long silicon nanowires with uniform electronic properties.

ABSTRACT: We report the nanocluster-catalyzed growth of ultralong and highly uniform single-crystalline silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with millimeter-scale lengths and aspect ratios up to approximately 100,000. The average SiNW growth rate using disilane (Si 2H 6) at 400 degrees C was 31 microm/min, while the growth rate determined for silane (SiH 4) reactant under similar growth conditions was 130 times lower. Transmission electron microscopy studies of millimeter-long SiNWs with diameters of 20-80 nm show that the nanowires grow preferentially along the 110 direction independent of diameter. In addition, ultralong SiNWs were used as building blocks to fabricate one-dimensional arrays of field-effect transistors (FETs) consisting of approximately 100 independent devices per nanowire. Significantly, electrical transport measurements demonstrated that the millimeter-long SiNWs had uniform electrical properties along the entire length of wires, and each device can behave as a reliable FET with an on-state current, threshold voltage, and transconductance values (average +/-1 standard deviation) of 1.8 +/- 0.3 microA, 6.0 +/- 1.1 V, 210 +/- 60 nS, respectively. Electronically uniform millimeter-long SiNWs were also functionalized with monoclonal antibody receptors and used to demonstrate multiplexed detection of cancer marker proteins with a single nanowire. The synthesis of structurally and electronically uniform ultralong SiNWs may open up new opportunities for integrated nanoelectronics and could serve as unique building blocks linking integrated structures from the nanometer through millimeter length scales.

SUBMITTER: Park WI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2664526 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Controlled synthesis of millimeter-long silicon nanowires with uniform electronic properties.

Park Won Il WI Zheng Gengfeng G Jiang Xiaocheng X Tian Bozhi B Lieber Charles M CM

Nano letters 20080819 9

We report the nanocluster-catalyzed growth of ultralong and highly uniform single-crystalline silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with millimeter-scale lengths and aspect ratios up to approximately 100,000. The average SiNW growth rate using disilane (Si 2H 6) at 400 degrees C was 31 microm/min, while the growth rate determined for silane (SiH 4) reactant under similar growth conditions was 130 times lower. Transmission electron microscopy studies of millimeter-long SiNWs with diameters of 20-80 nm show t ...[more]

PMID: 18710294

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Project description:The combination of metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) with colloidal lithography has emerged as a simple and cost-effective approach to nanostructure silicon. It is especially efficient at synthesizing Si micro- and nanowire arrays using a catalytic metal mesh, which sinks into the silicon substrate during the etching process. The approach provides a precise control over the array geometry, without requiring expensive nanopatterning techniques. Although MACE is a high-throughput solution-based approach, achieving large-scale homogeneity can be challenging because of the instability of the metal catalyst when the experimental parameters are not set appropriately. Such instabilities can lead to metal film fracture, significantly damaging the substrate and thus compromising the nanowire array quality. Here, we report on the critical parameters that influence the stability of the metal catalyst layer for achieving large-scale homogeneous MACE: etchant composition, metal film thickness, adhesion layer thickness, nanowire diameter and pitch, metal film coverage, Si/Au/etchant interface length, and crystalline quality of the colloidal template (grain size and defects). Our results investigate the origin of the catalyst film fracture and reveal that MACE experiments should be optimized for each Si wire array geometry by keeping the etch rate below a certain threshold. We show that the Si/Au/etchant interface length also affects the etch rate and should thus be considered when optimizing the MACE experimental parameters. Finally, our results demonstrate that colloidal templates with small grain sizes (i.e., <100 μm2) can yield significant problems during the pattern transfer because of a high density of defects at the grain boundaries that negatively affects the metal film stability. As such, this work provides guidelines for the large-scale synthesis of Si micro- and nanowire arrays via MACE, relevant for both new and experienced researchers working with MACE.

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Controlled synthesis of millimeter-long silicon nanowires with uniform electronic properties.

Publications

Controlled synthesis of millimeter-long silicon nanowires with uniform electronic properties.

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