Structural investigations of Inductively Coupled Plasma ultra-thin silicon nanowires

We demonstrated the high throughput production of ultra-thin SiNWs by the innovative Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) approach. Our investigations revealed that the vast majority (∼95%) of the ICP produced SiNWs grew according to the Oxide Assisted Growth mechanism, and the 5% through the Vapor-Liquid-Solid mechanism. These SiNWs present an intriguing internal nanostructure, that provides a new kind of nanocomposite, where quantum confinement effects are expected. Indeed, an intense photoluminescence emission in the near infra-red was observed. These results prove the ICP as a genuinely bulk process, which can be exploited for large scale production of thin SiNWs to be integrated into attractive large-area and flexible optoelectronic devices.