Ultrasharp Si nanowires produced by plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Abstract Conical silicon nanowires have been grown by gold nanoparticle catalyzed plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition. This method produces Si nanowires with a very fast growth rate (1 μm/min) and unique sharpness (<10 nm). Raman spectroscopy has proved the presence of both crystalline and amorphous Si in the grown Si nanowire layer. The fast growth process of Si nanowires with dimensions below 10 nm holds promises in various applications in electronics, photovoltaics and atomic force microscopy. magnified image (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)