title: Electron beam induced deposition of silicon nanostructures from a liquid phase precursor.
abstract: This work demonstrates electron beam induced deposition of silicon from a SiCl(4) liquid precursor in a transmission electron microscope and a scanning electron microscope. Silicon nanodots of tunable size are reproducibly grown in controlled geometries. The volume of these features increases linearly with deposition time. The results indicate that secondary electrons generated at the substrate surface serve as the primary source of silicon reduction. However, at high current densities the influence of the primary electrons is observed to retard growth. The results demonstrate a new approach to fabricating silicon nanostructures and provide fundamental insights into the mechanism for liquid phase electron beam induced deposition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kyong Wook
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Shen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Dillon
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D004583:Electrons; D004595:Electroplating / Q000379:methods*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation / Q000528:radiation effects; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D044367:Phase Transition; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012996:Solutions; D013499:Surface Properties / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D012996:Solutions; D012825:Silicon