Very long ErSi2 nanowires were formed on a Si(110) substrate by a self-assembly process. The wires were highly parallel and grew in the Si<011> direction. Nanowires with lengths more than 50 µm were fabricated. It was observed by transmission electron microscopy that the wires were hexagonal crystal type, having their c-axis (<0001> direction) perpendicular to the Si(112) plane. Then the nanowires were deeply buried in the Si(110) surface. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurements indicated that the nanowires had a ErSi2 chemical composition. Electrical conductivity measurement of the nanowires formed on high-resistivity Si substrates showed that the ErSi2 nanowires were good conductors at room temperature. The ErSi2 nanowire might be a promising candidate in nanometer-sized inter connection.

No abstract

ErSi 2 nanowires were formed on Si(100) substrate by self-assembly. The wires were grown along the Si[011] and Si[0 1 11] directions. Samples perpendicular and parallel to the growth direction of the wires were cut using a focused ion beam system for cross-sectional investigation. It was revealed that single-crystal ErSi 2 nanowires had been formed. However, the crystal orientation between the wires was different. Samples grown at different temperatures were also investigated to analyze the growth mechanism of the ErSi 2 nanowires. The growth process from the initial state to form ErSi 2 nanowires is discussed.

No abstract

No abstract