Martin Bettge

Low-temperature vapour–liquid–solid (VLS) growth of vertically aligned silicon oxide nanowires using concurrent ion bombardment

Vertically aligned silicon oxide nanowires can be synthesized over a large area by a low-temperature, ion-enhanced, reactive vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) method. Synthesis of these randomly ordered arrays begins with a thin indium film deposited on a Si or SiO(2) surface. At the processing temperature of 190 degrees C, the indium film becomes a self-organized seed layer of molten droplets, receiving atomic silicon from a DC magnetron sputtering source rather than from the gaseous precursors used in conventional VLS growth. Simultaneous vigorous ion bombardment aligns the objects vertically and expedites mixing of oxygen and silicon into the indium. Silicon oxide precipitates from each droplet in the form of multiple thin strands having diameters as small as 5 nm. These strands form a single loose bundle growing normal to the surface, eventually consolidating to form one nanowire. The vertical rate of growth can reach 300 nm min(-1) in an environment containing argon, hydrogen, and traces of water vapour. This paper discusses the physical and chemical factors leading to the formation of the nanostructures. It also demonstrates how the shape of the resulting nanostructures can be further controlled by sputtering, during both VLS growth and post-VLS processing. Key technological advantages of the developed process are nanowire growth at low substrate temperatures and the ability to form aligned nanostructure arrays, without the use of lithography or templates, on any substrate onto which a thin silicon film can be deposited.

Ion-induced surface relaxation: controlled bending and alignment of nanowire arrays.

It is a well-known fact that a sphere offers less surface area, and thus less surface energy, than any other arrangement of the same volume. From this perspective, all other shapes are metastable objects. In this paper, we present and discuss a manifestation of this metastability: the spontaneous alignment of free-standing amorphous nanowires towards, and ultimately parallel to, a flux of directional ion irradiation. The behavior expected from surface energy reduction is the opposite of that predicted by both theory and experiment regarding defect generation in crystalline nanowires, but is consistent with other observations on non-crystalline materials. We verify our expectations by bending and aligning finely stranded amorphous silica nanowires, noting that such nanostructures are particularly susceptible to bending through ion-induced surface energy reduction. We offer support for this mechanism through bending rate studies, thermal annealing experiments and mathematical modeling. Experimentally, we also demonstrate selective reorientation of nanowires in patterned areas, as well as conformal coating of reoriented arrays with functional materials. These capabilities offer the prospect of exploiting engineered surface anisotropies in optical, fluidic and micromechanical applications.

Nanostructured light-absorbing crystalline CuIn(1–x)GaxSe2 thin films grown through high flux, low energy ion irradiation

A hybrid effusion/sputtering vacuum system was modified with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) coil enabling ion assisted physical vapor deposition of CuIn1−xGaxSe2 thin films on GaAs single crystals and stainless steel foils. With 270 W and above >715  °C nanostructured pillars with large inter-pillar voids were produced. The latter appeared black and exhibited a strong {112}T texture with interpillar twist angles of ±8°. Application of a negative dc bias of 0–50 V to the film during growth was not found to alter the film morphology or stoichiometry. The results are interpre...