Dysprosium silicide nanowires on Si(110)

Dysprosium deposited on Si(110) at 720 degreesC is observed to form self-assembled silicide nanowire (NW) structures with a single orientation and average dimensions of 15 nm wide and microns long. The NW sides grow into the substrate along inclined Si{111} planes, forming a V-shaped cross section with an interface that is coherent on one side, described by DySi2(0001)//Si(11 (1) under bar) and DySi2[01 (1) under bar0]//Si[(1) under bar 10], and incoherent on the other. This type of growth represents a physical mechanism for self-assembled NW formation that does not require anisotropic lattice mismatch. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.