Large scale synthesis of silicon nanowires by laser ablation

Quasi one-dimensional materials have attracted considerable attention in recent years because of its potential to both fundamental physics and nanoelectronic applications. More recently, we have achieved large scale synthesis of silicon nanowires (SINW) at a high growth rate by laser ablation of Si target at 1200 °C. The laser source was a pulsed KrF excimer laser and the Si targets were made by pressing Si powder of 5 microns in size. 50 sccm Ar was used as a carrying gas flowing from the side near the Si target towards a water-cooled copper finger. Si nanowires have been grown with diameters ranging from 3 to 43 nm and several hundreds microns in length after 2 hours of laser ablation of Si target. The SINWs were analyzed by XRD, Raman, EDS, TEM and HRTEM. Successful large scale synthesis of SINW by laser ablation extends the pulsed laser ablation method from depositing thin films to synthesis of nanowires.