Directional growth of nanocrystalline Si nanorod array by mid-frequency magnetron sputtering

Abstract

A new route to fast prepare well‐aligned nanocrystalline Si nanorod array by mid‐frequency (MF) magnetron sputtering was proposed in this study. Pulsed bias technique has been employed to adjust ion‐bombardment condition over the growing film surface. For the Si samples deposited on the glass substrates with bipolar pulsed DC power supply, it was found that the two‐dimensional growth mode of Si films was converted to the one‐dimensional growth pattern at negative bias voltages no less than −60 V. The growth mode transition was ascribed to the coarsening of the growing surface in conjunction with atomic‐scale shadowing effect. The nanocrystalline Si nanorods were also fabricated on stainless steel substrates successfully.