Metal positioning on silicon surfaces using the etching of buried dislocation arrays

Nanotechnology. 2011 May 27;22(21):215301. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/22/21/215301. Epub 2011 Mar 30.

Abstract

Large-area Si(001) nanopatterned surfaces obtained by etching dislocation line arrays have been used to drive the positioning of metallic islands. A method combining wafer bonding of (001) silicon on insulator layers and preferential chemical etching allows controlling the periodicity of square trench arrays in the 20-50 nm lateral periodicity range with an accuracy of less than 1 nm and a depth of about 4-5 nm. The interfacial area containing the dislocation line plane can be removed and a single crystal maintaining the morphological patterning can be obtained. It is shown that oxidized or deoxidized silicon nanopatterned surfaces can drive the positioning of Ni, Au and Ag islands for a 20 nm lateral periodicity and that a lateral long range order, directly transferred from the dislocation network, can be obtained in the Ni and Au cases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't