Complex dewetting scenarios of ultrathin silicon films for large-scale nanoarchitectures.

ABSTRACT: Dewetting is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nature; many different thin films of organic and inorganic substances (such as liquids, polymers, metals, and semiconductors) share this shape instability driven by surface tension and mass transport. Via templated solid-state dewetting, we frame complex nanoarchitectures of monocrystalline silicon on insulator with unprecedented precision and reproducibility over large scales. Phase-field simulations reveal the dominant role of surface diffusion as a driving force for dewetting and provide a predictive tool to further engineer this hybrid top-down/bottom-up self-assembly method. Our results demonstrate that patches of thin monocrystalline films of metals and semiconductors share the same dewetting dynamics. We also prove the potential of our method

SUBMITTER: Naffouti M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5688764 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature