Complex nano-patterning of structural, optical, electrical and electron emission properties of amorphous silicon thin films by scanning probe

0487144 - FZÚ 2019 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Fait, Jan - Čermák, Jan - Stuchlík, Jiří - Rezek, Bohuslav
Complex nano-patterning of structural, optical, electrical and electron emission properties of amorphous silicon thin films by scanning probe.
Applied Surface Science. Roč. 428, Jan (2018), s. 1159-1165. ISSN 0169-4332. E-ISSN 1873-5584
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-01809S
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : amorphous silicon * nano-templates * nanostructures * electrical conductivity * electron emission * atomic force microscopy
OECD category: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.)
Impact factor: 5.155, year: 2018

Preparation of nanoscale templates represents an important step for synthesis and assembly of diverse nanostructures and nanoscale devices. We show that complex nano-structural templates in a thin (40 nm) layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) can be prepared by using locally applied electric field in an atomic force microscope (AFM). Depth of the resulting structures (1-40 nm) can be controlled by the process parameters (magnitude of electric field, exposure time, or nano-sweeping of the tip). We demonstrate that complex patterns can be scribed into the a-Si:H layer in that way. The prepared patterns exhibit different structural, optical, electrical, and electron emission properties, compared to the surroundings as detected by Raman micro-spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and conductive AFM. The silicon thin films with locally modified properties can be useful in themselves or can serve as templates for further nanoscale growth or assembly.

Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0283326