Nano Express
A general lithography-free method of microscale/nanoscale fabrication and patterning on Si and Ge surfaces
1 Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637371, Singapore
2 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology in Weihai, Weihai, 264209, China
Nanoscale Research Letters 2012, 7:110 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-7-110
Published: 8 February 2012Abstract
Here, we introduce and give an overview of a general lithography-free method to fabricate silicide and germanide micro-/nanostructures on Si and Ge surfaces through metal-vapor-initiated endoepitaxial growth. Excellent controls on shape and orientation are achieved by adjusting the substrate orientation and growth parameters. Furthermore, micro-/nanoscale pits with controlled morphologies can also be successfully fabricated on Si and Ge surfaces by taking advantage of the sublimation of silicides/germanides. The aim of this brief report is to illustrate the concept of lithography-free synthesis and patterning on surfaces of elemental semiconductors, and the differences and the challenges associated with the Si and the Ge surfaces will be discussed. Our results suggest that this low-cost bottom-up approach is promising for applications in functional nanodevices.
