Growth of semiconductor nanowires on iron-patterned silicon substrates

Recent progress in the synthesis of semiconductor nanowires has made an opp ortunity of testing quantum confinement effects and developing nanodevices based on these materials. However, isolating and manipulating the free-stan ding tangled nanowires still remain as challenges. It is of interest to gro w nanowires on a substrate in a controlled fashion, so that little or no po st-growth manipulation is needed for the purpose of measurement or device u ses. In this report, we demonstrate that semiconductor nanowires can be gro wn on iron-patterned silicon substrates using thermal evaporation method or gas transport reaction. In particular, we find that the nanowires are grow n only within the patterned iron squares on the substrates. The selective g rowth of the nanowires on the substrates presents a possibility to position the nanowires by depositing iron into desired areas on substrates. In this way, it is possible to integrate the nanowires into some useful nanostruct ures or devices. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.