Effect of HCl on the doping and shape control of silicon nanowires

Nanotechnology. 2012 Jun 1;23(21):215702. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/23/21/215702. Epub 2012 May 3.

Abstract

The introduction of hydrogen chloride during the in situ doping of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) grown using the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism was investigated. Compared with non-chlorinated atmospheres, the use of HCl with dopant gases considerably improves the surface morphology of the SiNWs, leading to extremely smooth surfaces and a greatly reduced tapering. Variations in the wire diameter are massively reduced for boron doping, and cannot be measured at 600 °C for phosphorous over several tens of micrometers. This remarkable feature is accompanied by a frozen gold migration from the catalyst, with no noticeable levels of gold clusters observed using scanning electron microscopy. A detailed study of the apparent resistivity of the NWs reveals that the dopant incorporation is effective for both types of doping. A graph linking the apparent resistivity to the dopant to silane dilution ratio is built for both types of doping and discussed in the frame of the previous results.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Crystallization / methods*
  • Hydrochloric Acid / chemistry*
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry
  • Materials Testing
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure*
  • Particle Size
  • Silicon / chemistry*
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Hydrochloric Acid
  • Silicon