Production of nano-structures of semiconductor materials consists of growing them on nucleation sites formed by irradiating substrates

摘要

The procedure consists of forming nucleation sites (4) by irradiating a dielectric substrate (2) with an ion beam giving localised deposition of atoms that form the sites, and then growing the structures on the sites by vapour phase chemical deposition. The substrate can be of silicon or aluminium dioxide or silicon nitride, and the nucleation sites are formed on it with a beam of silicon or germanium ions for growing nano-structures of a semiconductor material with the aid of dichlorosilane or germanium and a gas precursor. The nano-structures formed are threedimensional with a maximum diameter of 1 - 15 nm, and can be of silicon carbide, diamond, gallium arsenide, nitride or phosphide, or of metal.