Sintering of Confined Silica in Oxidized Silicon Particles

We observed electron-beam-induced sintering of amorphous silica in oxidized submicrometer silicon particles and analyzed the nature of mass transport in linear and triangular particle assemblies. The movement of silica around the rigid crystalline cores occurs rapidly and fills the necks, but the relative core positions in the sintered product depends on the initial geometry of the confined oxide. However, a thin layer of silica remains stable against the flow.