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Fully controllable silicon nanowire fabricated using optical lithography and orientation dependent oxidation

Ramadan, Sami; Bowen, Leon; Popescu, Sinziana; Fu, Chen; Kwa, Kelvin K.; O'Neill, Anthony

Fully controllable silicon nanowire fabricated using optical lithography and orientation dependent oxidation Thumbnail


Authors

Sami Ramadan

Leon Bowen leon.bowen@durham.ac.uk
Senior Manager (Electron Microscopy)

Sinziana Popescu

Chen Fu

Kelvin K. Kwa

Anthony O'Neill



Abstract

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) exhibit unique electrical, thermal, and optical properties compared to bulk silicon which make them suitable for various device applications. To realize nanowires in real applications, large-scale and low-cost fabrication method is required. Here, we demonstrate a simple, low-cost fabrication process to produce silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with full controllability of size and length. The nanowires are fabricated using optical lithography and orientation dependent oxidation. Highly uniform single crystalline nanowires with thicknesses down to 10 nm, lengths up to 3 cm and aspect ratios up to approximately 300,000 are formed with high yield. The technology is further simplified to fabricate more complex structure such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) by means of the selective etching of silicon without the need for extra steps. This method is distinct from other top-down techniques, where the formation of nanowires at low-cost, using simple processing steps, with high controllability and reproducibility is major challenge. This controllable and CMOS-compatible technology can offer a practical route to fabricate nanostructures with tuneable properties that can be the key for many device applications including nanoelectronics, thermoelectric and biosensing.

Citation

Ramadan, S., Bowen, L., Popescu, S., Fu, C., Kwa, K. K., & O'Neill, A. (2020). Fully controllable silicon nanowire fabricated using optical lithography and orientation dependent oxidation. Applied Surface Science, 523, Article 146516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.146516

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 26, 2020
Online Publication Date Apr 28, 2020
Publication Date Sep 1, 2020
Deposit Date Apr 29, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Applied Surface Science
Print ISSN 0169-4332
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 523
Article Number 146516
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.146516

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