JEEP 2009, 00002 (2009)
DOI: 10.1051/jeep/200900002

Preparation of silicon-based nanowires and the thermochemistry of the process

D. Hourlier¹, P. Lefebvre-Legry¹ and P. Perrot<sup>2

1</sup>  Institut d’Electronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologies, UMR-CNRS 8520, F-59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq
²  Laboratoire de Métallurgie Physique et Génie des Matériaux, UMR-CNRS 8517, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, F-59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq

djamila.hourlier@iemn.univ-lille1.fr
patricia.lefebvre@iemn.univ-lille1.fr
pierre.perrot@univ-lille1.fr

Published online: 4 December 2009

Abstract
The present paper is part of a general investigation of the thermodynamic properties of metal-semiconductor systems involved in the nanowires growth. Here, we will show that many aspects of the growth mechanisms, such as the surface curvature of the solid phase (in the nano or micrometer range), in equilibrium with the liquid phase are extremely important. We calculate and construct all binary Au-Si phase diagrams corresponding to nanosystems. By choosing the S(V)LS process rather than the VLS process, we succeeded in answering not only the origin of the driving force needed to trigger off the precipitation of solid nanowire but also the thorny question of the size limit of nanowires in relation with our specific growth conditions.

Key words: Silicon nanowires -- VLS mechanism -- thermodynamics -- phase diagrams -- nanosystems


© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences 2009