Oussama Moutanabbir

Colossal injection of catalyst atoms into silicon nanowires

The incorporation of impurities during the growth of nanowires from the vapour phase alters their basic properties substantially, and this process is critical in an extended range of emerging nanometre-scale technologies. In particular, achieving precise control of the behaviour of group III and group V dopants has been a crucial step in the development of silicon (Si) nanowire-based devices. Recently it has been demonstrated that the use of aluminium (Al) as a growth catalyst, instead of the usual gold, also yields an effective p-type doping, thereby enabling a novel and efficient route to functionalizing Si nanowires. Besides the technological implications, this self-doping implies the detachment of Al from the catalyst and its injection into the growing nanowire, involving atomic-scale processes that are crucial for the fundamental understanding of the catalytic assembly of nanowires. Here we present an atomic-level, quantitative study of this phenomenon of catalyst dissolution by three-dimensional atom-by-atom mapping of individual Al-catalysed Si nanowires using highly focused ultraviolet-laser-assisted atom-probe tomography. Although the observed incorporation of the catalyst atoms into nanowires exceeds by orders of magnitude the equilibrium solid solubility and solid-solution concentrations in known non-equilibrium processes, the Al impurities are found to be homogeneously distributed in the nanowire and do not form precipitates or clusters. As well as the anticipated effect on the electrical properties, this kinetics-driven colossal injection also has direct implications for nanowire morphology. We discuss the observed strong deviation from equilibrium using a model of solute trapping at step edges, and identify the key growth parameters behind this phenomenon on the basis of a kinetic model of step-flow growth of nanowires. The control of this phenomenon provides opportunities to create a new class of nanoscale devices by precisely tailoring the shape and composition of metal-catalysed nanowires.

Enhanced Catalytic Activity for Methanol Electro‐oxidation of Uniformly Dispersed Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles—Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Materials

Highy crystalline NiO nanoparticles are uniformly grown on the walls of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at moderate temperature.Their size and stoichiometry are controlled by the ALD process parameters. The obtained NiO/CNT hybrids exhibit excellent performance in the electro-oxidation of methanol.

Atomically Smooth p-Doped Silicon Nanowires Catalyzed by Aluminum at Low Temperature

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are powerful nanotechnological building blocks. To date, a variety of metals have been used to synthesize high-density epitaxial SiNWs through metal-catalyzed vapor phase epitaxy. Understanding the impact of the catalyst on the intrinsic properties of SiNWs is critical for precise manipulation of the emerging SiNW-based devices. Here we demonstrate that SiNWs synthesized at low-temperature by ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition using Al as a catalyst present distinct morphological properties. In particular, these nanowires are atomically smooth in contrast to rough {112}-type sidewalls characteristic of the intensively investigated Au-catalyzed SiNWs. We show that the stabilizing effect of Al plays the key role in the observed nanowire surface morphology. In fact, unlike Au which induces (111) and (113) facets on the nanowire sidewall surface, Al revokes the reconstruction along the [112] direction leading to equivalent adjacent step edges and flat surfaces. Our finding sets the lower limit of the Al surface density on the nanowire sidewalls at ∼2 atom/nm(2). Additionally, despite using temperatures of ca. 110-170 K below the eutectic point, we found that the incorporation of Al into the growing nanowires is sufficient to induce an effective p-type doping of SiNWs. These results demonstrate that the catalyst plays a crucial role is shaping the structural and electrical properties of SiNWs.

Fast atom beam-activated n-Si/n-GaAs wafer bonding with high interfacial transparency and electrical conductivity

Optically transparent, electrically conductive n-Si/n-GaAs direct wafer bonds are achieved by a thorough optimization of surface conditioning using fast atom beams. Bonding at room temperature under high-vacuum conditions is systematically investigated after in situ surface deoxidization using either argon or helium fast atom beams. Using argon, high bond energies of up to 900 mJ/m2 are obtained and further enhanced to achieve bulk strength through rapid annealing at 290 °C, thereby enabling the production of thermally stable and mechanically robust hybrid substrates. Moreover, the interface conductivity is significantly improved by an additional thermal annealing at 400 °C. Although it is anticipated to induce higher quality interfaces, helium treatment yields, however, limited and unstable bonding. This difference is attributed to an important surface nano-texturing that occurs during fast atom beam processing, a phenomenon that is peculiar to helium and absent in argon treatment.

Ultraviolet-laser atom-probe tomographic three-dimensional atom-by-atom mapping of isotopically modulated Si nanoscopic layers

Using ultraviolet-laser assisted local-electrode atom-probe (UV-LEAP) tomography, we obtain three-dimensional (3D) atom-by-atom images of isotopically modulated S28i and S30i ultrathin layers having thicknesses in the range of 5–30 nm. The 3D images display interfaces between the different monoisotopic layers with an interfacial width of ∼1.7 nm, thus demonstrating a significant improvement over isotope mapping achievable using secondary-ion mass-spectrometry or even visible laser-assisted atom-probe tomography. This sharpness is attributed to reduced thermal effects resulting from using a highly focused UV laser beam. Our findings demonstrate that UV-LEAP tomography provides the high accuracy needed to characterize, at the subnanometer scale, the emerging isotopically programmed nanomaterials.

Synthesis of Antimonene on Germanium

The lack of large-area synthesis processes on substrates compatible with industry requirements has been one of the major hurdles facing the integration of 2D materials in mainstream technologies. This is particularly the case for the recently discovered monoelemental group V 2D materials which can only be produced by exfoliation or growth on exotic substrates. Herein, to overcome this limitation, we demonstrate a scalable method to synthesize antimonene on germanium substrates using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. This emerging 2D material has been attracting a great deal of attention due to its high environmental stability and its outstanding optical and electronic properties. In situ low energy electron microscopy allowed the real time investigation and optimization of the 2D growth. Theoretical calculations combined with atomic-scale microscopic and spectroscopic measurements demonstrated that the grown antimonene sheets are of high crystalline quality, interact weakly with germanium, exhibit semimetallic characteristics, and remain stable under ambient conditions. This achievement paves the way for the integration of antimonene in innovative nanoscale and quantum technologies compatible with the current semiconductor manufacturing.

Strain and composition effects on Raman vibrational modes of silicon-germanium-tin ternary alloys

We investigated Raman vibrational modes in silicon-germanium-tin layers grown epitaxially on germanium/silicon virtual substrates using reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition. Several excitation wavelengths were utilized to accurately analyze Raman shifts in ternary layers with uniform silicon and tin content in 4–19 and 2–12 at. % ranges, respectively. The excitation using a 633 nm laser was found to be optimal leading to a clear detection and an unambiguous identification of all first order modes in the alloy. The influence of both strain and composition on these modes is discussed. The strain in the layers is evaluated from Raman shifts and reciprocal space mapping data and the obtained results are discussed in the light of recent theoretical calculations.

Atomic Layer Deposition Assisted Template Approach for Electrochemical Synthesis of Au Crescent-Shaped Half-Nanotubes

This paper reports on a novel and versatile method to synthesize sharp-edged crescent-shaped half-nanotubes (HNTs) using a flexible template-based nanofabrication method assisted by atomic layer deposition. This was achieved by electrodeposition inside crescent-shaped nanochannels created by a controlled removal of a sacrificial layer, which was deposited by atomic layer deposition onto the pore walls of an anodic aluminum oxide template. This method provides a high degree of freedom in the manipulation of the morphological properties of HNTs such as the edge sharpness, opening, gap size, and the wall thickness. Initial optical investigations of the HNTs reveal distinct surface plasmon resonance by dark field scattering spectra and surface enhanced Raman spectrum.

Microstructural evolution in H ion induced splitting of freestanding GaN

We investigated the microstructural transformations during hydrogen ion-induced splitting of GaN thin layers. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and positron annihilation spectroscopy data show that the implanted region is decorated with a high density of 1 – 2 nm bubbles resulting from vacancy clustering during implantation. These nanobubbles persist up to 450 ° C. Ion channeling data show a strong dechanneling enhancement in this temperature range tentatively attributed to strain-induced lattice distortion. The dechanneling level decreases following the formation of plateletlike structures at 475 ° C. Extended internal surfaces develop around 550 ° C leading to the exfoliation of GaN thin layer.

UV-Raman imaging of the in-plane strain in single ultrathin strained silicon-on-insulator patterned structure

Confocal UV-Raman with glycerin-immersed high numerical aperture objective lens was used to probe the local strain in individual strained Si structures. The investigated structures were fabricated from 15 nm thick strained silicon-on-insulator substrates with a tensile strain of 0.8%. Two-dimensional maps of the postpatterning strain were obtained for single structures with lateral dimension of 500 nm. We found that the strain measured at the center partially relaxes and drops to 0.67% as a result of patterning-induced free surfaces. This relaxation increases toward the edges following nearly a parabolic behavior. A different strain behavior was observed for larger structures.