Gold Catalyzed Silicon Nanowires: Defects in the Wires and Gold on the Wires

摘要

Silicon nanowires were grown by the vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism using gold as the catalyst and silane as the precursor. Although the crystalline quality of the wires is very high, sometimes defects can be observed. Some examples are shown. Gold clusters were observed on the lateral sides of the wires by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. An approximate calculation shows that the nanowire sidewalls are covered by one monolayer of gold during growth. De-wetting of the monolayer after growth results in a homogenous distribution of gold clusters on the lateral surfaces of the wires.