Physical assembly of Ag nanocrystals on enclosed surfaces in monocrystalline Si.
Growth of thin crystals on external substrate surfaces by many different methods is a well-known technique, but its extension to inner, enclosed surfaces of large defects in monocrystalline materials has not yet been reported. The literature on thin film growth and defects in materials can be leveraged to fabricate new structures for a variety of applications. Here we show a physical process of nucleation and evolution of nanocrystalline silver inside voids in monocrystalline silicon. We found that the Ag growth is hetero-epitaxial using a coincident site lattice. Alignment of Ag and Si atomic planes is uniformly observed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and macroscopically by channeling Rutherford backscattering spectrometry.
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
Michael S
MS
Martin
CHD-Fab, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Chandler, AZ 85224.
N David
ND
Theodore
Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
Chao-Chen
CC
Wei
1] Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843 [2] CHD-Fab, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Chandler, AZ 85224 [3] Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
Lin
L
Shao