Morphology of Si nanowires synthesized by high-temperature laser ablation

Silicon nanowires have been synthesized by laser ablation of Si powder targets at 1200 degrees C. Transmission electron microscopy study showed that most Si nanowires had smooth surfaces and nearly the same diameter of about 16 nm. Beside the most abundant smooth-surface nanowires, four other forms of nanowires, named spring-shaped, fishbone-shaped, frog-egg-shaped, and necklace-shaped nanowires, were observed. The formation of nanowires into different shapes was explained by the two-step growth model based on the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)02411-1].