Growth of Silicon , Germanium , Si x Ge 1-x and Various Polytypes of Silicon Carbide Nanowires

Abstract

The silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloy has played an important role in the semiconductor industry because of its inexpensive production and high power capabilities [1]. Silicon carbide (SiC) has also played an important role due to its high thermal conductivity and wide energy band gap [2]. In this study, silicon, germanium, Si x Ge 1-x and various polytypes of SiC nanowires were grown via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor. Nanowires are 1-dimensional nanostructures with very interesting properties such as a high electron mobilities, several times higher than conventional structures. Polytypes of SiC were grown on silicon substrates using silane and propane with nickel (Ni) as a catalyst. The polytypes were achieved by varying the temperature of the CVD reactor during growth. In doing this, we changed the phase of the nanowires from cubic SiC (3C) to hexagonal SiC (6H). The silicon, germanium, and Si x Ge 1-x structures were grown using silane and germane. X-ray and other characterization techniques were used to examine the structure and nature of the 1-dimensional system. Introduction: With its low energy band gap, high mobility, and ability to synthesize nanowires at low temperatures, germanium has become one of the key players in the semiconductor industry [3]. Silicon-germanium's high power capabilities make it ideal for wireless communications devices [1]. Silicon carbide is another key player in the semiconductor industry because of its high thermal conductivity. Polytypes of silicon carbide refer to the stacking structure of the silicon and carbon atoms, with the basic crystalline structures being cubic (3C), hexagonal (6H), and rhombohedral (15R), with each structure having its own unique optical and electronic properties.