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Titanium-Catalyzed Silicon Nanostructures Grown by APCVD

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Abstract

We report on growth of Ti-catalyzed silicon nanostructures (SNCs) through atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition. An extensive growth study relating the growth condition parameters, including the partial pressure of SiCl4 gas, reaction temperature, and reaction time, was carried out to obtain insight into the growth regimes for the observed SNCs. Based on phase diagram analysis of Ti-Si alloy and growth rate analysis of the silicon nanowires (SNWs) and silicon nanoplatelets, we believe the growth mechanism to be strongly dependent on the thermodynamics of the system, exhibiting a delicate balance that can easily tip between the growth and etching regimes of the system. Three types of SNCs were observed frequently throughout the study: nanowires, nanoplatelets, and balls. Regimes for highly etched growth were also noted through growth conditions plots. Ti-catalyzed SNWs grown using SiCl4 gas strongly suggest growth occurring through a type of vapor–solid–solid (VSS) mechanism that is limited by diffusion through the solid–catalyst interface. On the other hand, the two-dimensional SNP morphologies suggest growth occurring through the twin-plane mechanism at the edges, at 10 nm to 100 nm scales, also through a similar, VSS mechanism.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and University of Utah Research Foundation. M.A.U.U. and B.J.S. acknowledge support from graduate research fellowships in performing this research in the University of Utah laboratories. Support from the Brigham Young University Microscopy facility and use of the electron microscopy instruments are also fully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Mohammad A. U. Usman, Justin B. Jackson & Mark S. Miller

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Brady J. Smith & Mark S. Miller

  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Matthew C. De Long

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  1. Mohammad A. U. Usman
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  2. Brady J. Smith
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Correspondence to Mohammad A. U. Usman.

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Usman, M.A.U., Smith, B.J., Jackson, J.B. et al. Titanium-Catalyzed Silicon Nanostructures Grown by APCVD. J. Electron. Mater. 44, 38–49 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3493-7

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