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'Nearly Perfect' Crystals Could Advance Nano-Optoelectronics

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Embedding “nearly perfect” semiconductor crystals in silicon nanowires solves a problem in the production of nano-optoelectronic components, according to a team of European researchers.

The crystals — made of indium arsenide (InAs) — possess extremely high electron mobility and could be useful in improving silicon-based CMOS technology, the team said. To date, integrating such crystals into nanowires has been difficult because crystal lattice mismatch always led to numerous defects.  


An energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscope image shows an InAs nanocrystal (green-cyan) integrated in a silicon nanowire (blue). A sleeve of silicon oxide (red) can be seen outside the wire. Courtesy of TU Vienna and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.


The researchers used liquid-phase epitaxy to get around the problem. First, they introduced a determined number of atoms precisely into the liquid nanowires via ion beam synthesis. Next, they annealed the nanowires for 20 ms with a xenon flash lamp, creating a 15-nm-thick silicon oxide shell that maintained the form of the liquid nanowire.

“The atoms diffuse in the liquid-silicon phase so rapidly that within milliseconds they form flawless monocrystals delineated from their surroundings with nearly perfect interfaces,” said lead researcher Dr. Wolfgang Skorupa of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf.

Going forward, the scientists want to introduce other compound semiconductors into silicon nanowires and also optimize the size and distribution of the crystals.

Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University Lublin in Poland and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne also collaborated on the project. The work was published in Nano Research (doi: 10.1007/s12274-014-0536-6).

For more information, visit www.hzdr.de.
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Published: July 2014
Glossary
nano
An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light and its interactions with different materials. The term "optoelectronics" is a combination of "optics" and "electronics," reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this field. Optoelectronic devices convert electrical signals into optical signals or vice versa, making them crucial in various technologies. Some key components and applications of optoelectronics include: ...
xenon
A rare gas used in small high-pressure arc lamps to produce a high-intensity source of light closely resembling the color quality of daylight.
AustriaCMOScrystalsdefectselectron mobilityEuropeflash lampHelmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfInAsindium arsenideLausannenanonanowiresoptoelectronicsPolandResearch & Technologysemiconductorssiliconsilicon oxideSwiss Federal Institute of TechnologySwitzerlandVienna University of TechnologyXenoncrystal lattice mismatchliquid-phase epitaxyion beam synthesisannealWolfgang SkorupaMaria Curie-Sklodowska University LublinNano ResearchEuro News

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