Surface charge sensitivity of silicon nanowires: size dependence

Silicon nanowires of different widths were fabricated in silicon on insulator (SOI) material using conventional process technology combined with electron-beam lithography. The aim was to analyze the size dependence of the sensitivity of such nanowires for biomolecule detection and for other sensor applications. Results from electrical characterization of the nanowires show a threshold voltage increasing with decreasing width. When immersed in an acidic buffer solution, smaller nanowires exhibit large conductance changes while larger wires remain unaffected. This behavior is also reflected in detected threshold shifts between buffer solutions of different pH, and we find that nanowires of width >150 nm are virtually insensitive to the buffer pH. The increased sensitivity for smaller sizes is ascribed to the larger surface/volume ratio for smaller wires exposing the channel to a more effective control by the local environment, similar to a surrounded gate transistor structure. Computer simulations confirm this behavior and show that sensing can be extended even down to the single charge level.     

Ultralow thermal conductivity of isotope-doped silicon nanowires

The thermal conductivity of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. It is found that the thermal conductivity of SiNWs can be reduced exponentially by isotopic defects at room temperature. The thermal conductivity reaches the minimum, which is about 27% of that of pure 28Si NW, when doped with 50% isotope atoms. The thermal conductivity of isotopic-superlattice structured SiNWs depends clearly on the period of superlattice. At a critical period of 1.09 nm, the thermal conductivity is only 25% of the value of pure Si NW. An anomalous enhancement of thermal conductivity is observed when the superlattice period is smaller than this critical length. The ultralow thermal conductivity of superlattice structured SiNWs is explained with phonon spectrum theory.     

Coherent single charge transport in molecular-scale silicon nanowires

We report low-temperature electrical transport studies of chemically synthesized, molecular-scale silicon nanowires. Individual nanowires exhibit Coulomb blockade oscillations characteristic of charge addition to a single nanostructure on length scales up to at least 400 nm. Studies also demonstrate coherent charge transport through discrete single particle quantum levels extending across whole devices, and show that the ground-state spin configuration is consistent with the constant interaction model. In addition, depletion of nanowires suggests that phase coherent single-dot characteristics are accessible in the few-charge regime. These results differ from those for nanofabricated planar silicon devices, which show localization on much shorter length scales, and thus suggest potential for molecular-scale silicon nanowires as building blocks for quantum and conventional electronics.     

Quantifying surface roughness effects on phonon transport in silicon nanowires

Although it has been qualitatively demonstrated that surface roughness can reduce the thermal conductivity of crystalline Si nanowires (SiNWs), the underlying reasons remain unknown and warrant quantitative studies and analysis. In this work, vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) grown SiNWs were controllably roughened and then thoroughly characterized with transmission electron microscopy to obtain detailed surface profiles. Once the roughness information (root-mean-square, σ, correlation length, L, and power spectra) was extracted from the surface profile of a specific SiNW, the thermal conductivity of the same SiNW was measured. The thermal conductivity correlated well with the power spectra of surface roughness, which varies as a power law in the 1-100 nm length scale range. These results suggest a new realm of phonon scattering from rough interfaces, which restricts phonon transport below the Casimir limit. Insights gained from this study can help develop a more concrete theoretical understanding of phonon-surface roughness interactions as well as aid the design of next generation thermoelectric devices.     

Instability and transport of metal catalyst in the growth of tapered silicon nanowires

During metal-catalyzed growth of tapered silicon nanowires, or silicon nanocones (SiNCs), Au-Si eutectic particles are seen to undergo significant and reproducible reductions in their diameters. The reductions are accompanied by the transfer of eutectic droplet mass to adjacent, initially metal catalyst-free substrates, producing secondary nucleation and growth of SiNCs. Remarkably, the catalyst particle diameters on the SiNCs grown on the adjacent substrates are strongly correlated with those on the SiNCs grown on the initially Au-nanoparticle-coated substrate. These post-growth nanoparticle sizes depend on temperature and are found to be independent of the initial nanoparticle sizes. Our modeling and analysis indicates that the size reduction and mass transfer could be explained by electrostatic charge-induced dissociation of the droplet. The reduction in size enables the controlled growth of SiNCs with tip sharpnesses approaching the atomic scale, indicating that metal-catalyst nanoparticles can play an even more dynamic role than previously thought, and suggesting additional modes of control of shape, and of nucleation and growth location.     

Surface stress effects on the critical buckling strains of silicon nanowires

The objective of this paper is to quantify how nanoscale surface stresses impact the critical buckling strains of silicon nanowires. These insights are gained by using nonlinear finite element calculations based upon a multiscale, finite deformation constitutive model that incorporates nanoscale surface stress and surface elastic effects to study the buckling behavior of silicon nanowires that have cross sectional dimensions between 10 and 25 nm under axial compressive loading. The key finding is that, in contrast to existing surface elasticity solutions, the critical buckling strains are found to show little deviation from the classical bulk Euler solution. The present results suggest that accounting for axial strain relaxation due to surface stresses may be necessary to improve the accuracy and predictive capability of analytic linear surface elastic theories.     

热化学气相沉积法在硅纳米丝上合成碳纳米管

利用热化学气相沉积法在负载不同厚度催化剂的硅纳米丝(SiNW)表面生长碳纳米管(CNTs),探讨了生长条件对所合成SiNW-CNT的结构和场发射特性的影响.这种类似树状的三维结构具有较高碳纳米管表面密度及降低的电场筛除效应等潜在优势.使用拉曼光谱( Raman)、电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、能量扩散分光仪(EDS)分析了碳纳米管的结构性质,并在高真空下施加电场测得碳纳米管的场发射特性.结果表明:随硅纳米丝上负载催化剂镍膜厚度的变化,所合成碳纳米管的表面特性、结晶结构及功函数改变,导致电子发射难易程度的改变,进一步影响碳纳米管的场发射特性.     

Nanoscale size dependence parameters on lattice thermal conductivity of Wurtzite GaN nanowires

A detailed calculation of lattice thermal conductivity of freestanding Wurtzite GaN nanowires with diameter ranging from 97 to 160 nm in the temperature range 2–300 K, was performed using a modified Callaway model. Both longitudinal and transverse modes are taken into account explicitly in the model. A method is used to calculate the Debye and phonon group velocities for different nanowire diameters from their related melting points. Effect of Gruneisen parameter, surface roughness, and dislocations as structure dependent parameters are successfully used to correlate the calculated values of lattice thermal conductivity to that of the experimentally measured curves. It was observed that Gruneisen parameter will decrease with decreasing nanowire diameters. Scattering of phonons is assumed to be by nanowire boundaries, imperfections, dislocations, electrons, and other phonons via both normal and Umklapp processes. Phonon confinement and size effects as well as the role of dislocation in limiting thermal conductivity are investigated. At high temperatures and for dislocation densities greater than 10¹⁴ m^?2 the lattice thermal conductivity would be limited by dislocation density, but for dislocation densities less than 10¹⁴ m^?2, lattice thermal conductivity would be independent of that.     

Hidden defects in silicon nanowires

Recent publications have reported the presence of hexagonal phases in Si nanowires. Most of these reports were based on 'odd' diffraction patterns and HRTEM images—'odd' means that these images and diffraction patterns could not be obtained on perfect silicon crystals in the classical diamond cubic structure. We analyze the origin of these 'odd' patterns and images by studying the case of various Si nanowires grown using either Ni or Au as catalysts in combination with P or Al doping. Two models could explain the experimental results: (i) the presence of a hexagonal phase or (ii) the presence of defects that we call 'hidden' defects because they cannot be directly observed in most images. We show that in many cases one direction of observation is not sufficient to distinguish between the two models. Several directions of observations have to be used. Secondly, conventional TEM images, i.e. bright-field two-beam and dark-field images, are of great value in the identification of 'hidden' defects. In addition, slices of nanowires perpendicular to the growth axis can be very useful. In the studied nanowires no hexagonal phase with long range order is found and the 'odd' images and diffraction patterns are mostly due to planar defects causing superposition of different crystal grains. Finally, we show that in Raman experiments the defect-rich NWs can give rise to a Raman peak shifted to 504–511 cm?1 with respect to the Si bulk peak at 520 cm?1, indicating that Raman cannot be used to identify a hexagonal phase.     

Enhancing flow boiling heat transfer in microchannels for thermal management with monolithically-integrated silicon nanowires

Thermal management has become a critical issue for high heat flux electronics and energy systems. Integrated two-phase microchannel liquid-cooling technology has been envisioned as a promising solution, but with great challenges in flow instability. In this work, silicon nanowires were synthesized in situ in parallel silicon microchannel arrays for the first time to suppress the flow instability and to augment flow boiling heat transfer. Significant enhancement in flow boiling heat transfer performance was demonstrated for the nanowire-coated microchannel heat sink, such as an early onset of nucleate boiling, a delayed onset of flow oscillation, suppressed oscillating amplitudes of temperature and pressure drop, and an increased heat transfer coefficient.     

Multicolored vertical silicon nanowires

We demonstrate that vertical silicon nanowires take on a surprising variety of colors covering the entire visible spectrum, in marked contrast to the gray color of bulk silicon. This effect is readily observable by bright-field microscopy, or even to the naked eye. The reflection spectra of the nanowires each show a dip whose position depends on the nanowire radii. We compare the experimental data to the results of finite difference time domain simulations to elucidate the physical mechanisms behind the phenomena we observe. The nanowires are fabricated as arrays, but the vivid colors arise not from scattering or diffractive effects of the array, but from the guided mode properties of the individual nanowires. Each nanowire can thus define its own color, allowing for complex spatial patterning. We anticipate that the color filter effect we demonstrate could be employed in nanoscale image sensor devices.     

Infrared spectra of silicon nanowires

Infrared (IR) spectra of the silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with oxide layer are analyzed by introducing the disorder-induced mechanical coupling between the optically active oxygen asymmetric stretch (AS) and inactive oxygen asymmetric stretch (I-AS) modes in terms of the transverse-optic (TO) and longitudinal-optic (LO) vibrational modes. The shapes of the IR spectra are similar to that of the reported SiO₂, indicating that the SiNWs possess an oxide layer outside. The TO frequencies of coupled AS and I-AS are experimentally observed as peak at approximately 1085 cm^− 1 and its shoulder of 1200 cm^− 1, respectively. The other TO absorption peaks of ∼ 468 cm^− 1, ∼ 480 cm^− 1, and ∼ 808 cm^− 1 are also observed. Furthermore, the intensity of the AS-mode TO band centered at ∼ 1085 cm^− 1 decreases while those of silicon lattice absorption peaks are enhanced with the crystalline quality increased.     

Measurement of carrier mobility in silicon nanowires

We report the first direct capacitance measurements of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) and the consequent determination of field carrier mobilities in undoped-channel SiNW field-effect transistors (FETs) at room temperature. We employ a two-FET method for accurate extraction of the intrinsic channel resistance and intrinsic channel capacitance of the SiNWs. The devices used in this study were fabricated using a top-down method to create SiNW FETs with up to 1000 wires in parallel for increasing the raw capacitance while maintaining excellent control on device dimensions and series resistance. We found that, compared with the universal mobility curves for bulk silicon, the electron and hole mobilities in nanowires are comparable to those of the surface orientation that offers a lower mobility.     

Size-scaling in optical trapping of silicon nanowires

We investigate size-scaling in optical trapping of ultrathin silicon nanowires showing how length regulates their Brownian dynamics, optical forces, and torques. Force and torque constants are measured on nanowires of different lengths through correlation function analysis of their tracking signals. Results are compared with a full electromagnetic theory of optical trapping developed in the transition matrix framework, finding good agreement.     

DNA hybridization on silicon nanowires

Nanowire-based detection strategies provide promising new routes to bioanalysis and indeed are attractive to conventional systems because of their small size, high surface-to-volume ratios, electronic, and optical properties. A sequence-specific detection of single-stranded oligonucleotides using silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is demonstrated. The surface of the SiNWs is functionalized with densely packed organic monolayer via hydrosilylation for covalent attachment. Subsequently, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is immobilized to recognize the complementary target DNA. The biomolecular recognition properties of the nanowires are tested via hybridization with ^γP³² tagged complementary and non-complementary DNA oligonucleotides, showing good selectivity and reversibility. No significant non-specific binding to the incorrect sequences is observed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging, and nanodrop techniques are used to characterize the modified SiNWs and covalent attachment with DNA. The results show that SiNWs are excellent substrates for the absorption, stabilization and detection of DNA sequences and could be used for DNA microarrays and micro fabricated SiNWs DNA sensors.     

Surface energy of nanowires

An analytical model is developed for calculation of the surface energy of a nanowire based on thermodynamics and continuum medium mechanics. The core-shell structure and the outer surface skin of the nanowire are considered for the one-dimensional nanostructure and contributions from chemical and structural effects to the surface energy are discussed. It is found that the surface energy of nanowires decreases with the diameter reduction, which induces the melting temperature depression of nanowires. Theoretical results are in agreement with the results of experiments and simulations.     

Ion beam doping of silicon nanowires

We demonstrate n- and p-type field-effect transistors based on Si nanowires (SiNWs) implanted with P and B at fluences as high as 10(15) cm (-2). Contrary to what would happen in bulk Si for similar fluences, in SiNWs this only induces a limited amount of amorphization and structural disorder, as shown by electrical transport and Raman measurements. We demonstrate that a fully crystalline structure can be recovered by thermal annealing at 800 degrees C. For not-annealed, as-implanted NWs, we correlate the onset of amorphization with an increase of phonon confinement in the NW core. This is ion-dependent and detectable for P-implantation only. Hysteresis is observed following both P and B implantation.