Experimental evidence of the generation of gaseous SiO as precursor for the growth of SiOx nanowires

The vapor-liquid-solid process is a fundamental and widely used mechanism for the growth of nanowires. In this article, experimental observations have been carried out to explain the growth mechanism of silicon-based nanowires using a solid-bulk silicon source as unique precursor. The synthesis consisted of a thermal treatment at 900 °C under an Ar-H2 atmosphere with a low residual O2 concentration. The presence of SiO in gaseous phase, originated via the active oxidation of the Si substrate, is shown as the principal factor responsible for the nanowires growth, via a process commonly termed as solid-vapor-liquid-solid.