Preparation of silicon nanowires by in situ doping and theirelectrical properties, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 2014, 450, 156-160.

Preparation of silicon nanowires by in situ doping and theirelectrical properties
Jindong Wang ^a, Gen He ^b, Jinwen Qin ^b, Lidong Li ^a, Xuefeng Guo ^b

a School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
b Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China

Abstract

Individual silicon nanowires (SiNWs) doped by in situ dopant incorporation during growth of the SiNWs was investigated. Electrical charge transport measurements were taken before and after removing the material from the boron-doped SiNW surfaces by wet chemical etching. AFM (atomic force microscopy) images showed the radial cross section of the ∼10 nm thick material that was cut off from the SiNW surface. The electrical transport characteristics after each etching cycle revealed the radial core–shell distribution of the activated dopants. The carrier concentration close to the surface of the boron-doped SiNWs was a factor of 6 higher than the value in the core. Using a simple, rapid and reliable technique, the natural distribution of the surface dopants in the SiNWs, which was distinct from many top-down fabricated NWs, explained the enhancement in the charge transport properties of these NWs. This could yield robust properties in ultra-small devices that are often dominated by random dopants fluctuations.

Keywords
Nanowire; Silicon; AFM; Wet chemical etch; Electrical measurement; Dopant

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927775714002507