Abstract
A study on the passivation of germanium nanowires with aqueous halide solutions is presented. Germanium nanowires grown on silicon (100) substrates were treated with either hydrofluoric, hydrochloric, hydrobromic or hydroiodic acid (each of 20 wt %) and were analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy after varying exposures to ambient air. Samples exposed to air for 10 minutes after hydrofluoric acid passivation show signs of oxidation while hydrochloric acid passivation results in mild oxidation after 3 hours. The hydrobromic and hydroiodic acid passivations produce stable and oxidation resistant nanowires up to 48 hours in room air. In addition to superior passivation, hydrobromic acid does not aggressively etch germanium compared to hydroiodic acid which etches germanium (100) at a rate of 0.6 nm/min. These results provide insight for obtaining proper passivation techniques that are required for the controlled fabrication of germanium devices.
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