Growth of crystalline silicon nanowires on nickel-coated silicon wafer beneath sputtered amorphous carbon

Growth of crystalline silicon nanowire of controllable diameter directly from Si wafer opens up another avenue for its application in solar cells and optical sensing. Crystalline Si nanowire can be directly grown from Si wafer upon rapid thermal annealing in the presence of the catalyst such as nickel (Ni). However, the accompanying oxidation immediately changes the crystalline Si nanowire to amorphous SiOx. In this study, amorphous carbon layer was sputtered to on top of the catalyst Ni layer to retard the oxidation. Scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to characterize the wires and oxidation process. A model was developed to explain the growth and oxidation process of the crystalline Si nanowire.

► Carbon was sputtered on nickel to retard the oxidation of silicon nanowires.
► Silicon core was controlled by carbon layer thickness and annealing duration.
► An oxidation-accompanying solid–liquid–solid growth mechanism was developed.