Abstract
We examine individual Si nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism, using real-time in situ ultra high vacuum transmission electron microscopy. By directly observing Au-catalyzed growth of Si wires from disilane, we show that the growth rate is independent of wire diameter, contrary to the expected behavior. Our measurements show that the unique rate-limiting step here is the irreversible, kinetically limited, dissociative adsorption of disilane directly on the catalyst surface. We also identify a novel dependence of growth rate on wire taper.
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