Engineering Silicon to Porous Silicon and Silicon Nanowires by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching: Role of Ag Size and Electron-Scavenging Rate on Morphology Control and Mechanism.

ABSTRACT: We demonstrate controlled fabrication of porous Si (PS) and vertically aligned silicon nanowires array starting from bulk silicon wafer by simple chemical etching method, and the underlying mechanism of nanostructure formation is presented. Silicon-oxidation rate and the electron-scavenging rate from metal catalysis play a vital role in determining the morphology of Si nanostructures. The size of Ag catalyst is found to influence the Si oxidation rate. Tunable morphologies from irregular porous to regular nanowire structure could be tailored by controlling the size of Ag nanoparticles and H₂O₂ concentration. Ag nanoparticles of size around 30 nm resulted in irregular porous structures, whereas discontinuous Ag film yielded nanowire structures. The depth of the porous

SUBMITTER: Rajkumar K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6641903 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature