Dependence of the silicon nanowire diameter on ambient pressure

Our present work provides a method to control the diameters of the silicon nanowires. As a dominant experimental parameter, the ambient pressure was c ontrolled between 150 and 600 Torr. It is found that the average size of th e silicon nanowires increases with increasing ambient pressure. The mean di ameter of the silicon nanowires in our study is proportional to the 0.4 pow er of ambient pressure. Catalytic nanoparticles and the periodic instabilit y of the nanowires suggest a vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism. For the g rowth of nanowires, an explanation of the relationship between the mean dia meter of the silicon nanowires and the ambient pressure has been proposed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)00949-8].