Dynamic observation on the growth behaviors in manganese silicide/silicon nanowire heterostructures†
Yu-Hsun Hsieh,Chung-Hua Chiu,Chun-Wei Huang,Jui-Yuan Chen,Wan-Jhen Lin,Wen-Wei Wu
Nanoscale Pub Date : 12/01/2014 00:00:00 , DOI:10.1039/C4NR06084A
Abstract

Metal silicide nanowires (NWs) are very interesting materials with diverse physical properties. Among the silicides, manganese silicide nanostructures have attracted wide attention due to their several potential applications, including in microelectronics, optoelectronics, spintronics and thermoelectric devices. In this work, we exhibited the formation of pure manganese silicide and manganese silicide/silicon nanowire heterostructures through solid state reaction with line contacts between manganese pads and silicon NWs. Dynamical process and phase characterization were investigated by in situ transmission electron microscopy (in situ TEM) and spherical aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-corrected STEM), respectively. The growth dynamics of the manganese silicide phase under thermal effects were systematically studied. Additionally, Al2O3, serving as the surface oxide, altered the growth behavior of the MnSi nanowire, enhancing the silicide/Si epitaxial growth and effecting the diffusion process in the silicon nanowire as well. In addition to fundamental science, this significant study has great potential in advancing future processing techniques in nanotechnology and related applications.

Graphical abstract: Dynamic observation on the growth behaviors in manganese silicide/silicon nanowire heterostructures