Process for Fabricating Nanowire Arrays
AssigneeBandgap Engineering, Inc.
InventorsBrent A. Buchine, Faris Modawar, Marcie R. Black
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Abstract
A process is provided for etching a silicon-containing substrate to form nanowire arrays. In this process, one deposits nanoparticles and a metal film onto the substrate in such a way that the metal is present and touches silicon where etching is desired and is blocked from touching silicon or not present elsewhere. One submerges the metallized substrate into an etchant aqueous solution comprising HF and an oxidizing agent. In this way arrays of nanowires with controlled diameter and length are produced.
Claims32
An array of aligned silicon nanowires attached to a substrate at a crystalline silicon surface of the substrate, wherein the majority of the nanowires have diameters of no more than about 150 nm and are attached at least approximately perpendicular to the substrate, wherein the crystalline silicon surface at which the array attaches is a crystal plane in an orientation other than (100) and (111).
An etched nanowire array wherein at least about 75% of the nanowires have a diameter below about 150 nm.
A nanowire array comprising polycrystalline silicon.
A process for etching a silicon-containing substrate to form structures, comprising the steps of:
- (a) depositing nanoparticles on the surface of a silicon-containing substrate,
- (b) depositing metal on top of the nanoparticles and silicon in such a way that the metal is present and touches silicon where etching is desired and is blocked from touching silicon or not present elsewhere, and
- (c) contacting the metallized substrate with an etchant aqueous solution comprising about 2 to about 49 weight percent HF and an oxidizing agent,
- wherein the process results in nanowire arrays in which the average diameter of the nanowires is less than about 125 nm.
A lithium ion absorbing material comprising silicon nanowires made by metal enhanced etching of silicon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.