title: Nanocatalytic growth of Si nanowires from Ni silicate coated SiC nanoparticles on Si solar cell.
abstract: We investigated the nanocatalytic growth of Si nanowires on the microtextured surface of crystalline Si solar cell. 3C-SiC nanoparticles have been used as the base for formation of Ni silicate layer in a catalytic reaction with the Si melt under H2 atmosphere at an annealing temperature of 1100 degrees C. The 10-nm thick Ni film was deposited after the SiC nanoparticles were coated on the microtextured surface of the Si solar cell by electron-beam evaporation. SiC nanoparticles form a eutectic alloy surface of Ni silicate and provide the base for Si supersaturation as well as the Ni-Si alloy layer on Si substrate surface. This bottom reaction mode for the solid-liquid-solid growth mechanism using a SiC nanoparticle base provides more stable growth of nanowires than the top reaction mode growth mechanism in the absence of SiC nanoparticles. Thermally excited Ni nanoparticle forms the eutectic alloy and provides collectively excited electrons at the alloy surface, which reduces the activation energy of the nanocatalytic reaction for formation of nanowires.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Research Center of Industrial Technology, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, R. O. Korea.
authors.forename: Bhaskar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parida
authors.forename: Jaeho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hyung Yong
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Seungil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Gyoungho
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Keunjoo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim