Plasma-induced crystallization of silicon nanoparticles

Kramer, Nicolaas J.; Anthony, Rebecca; Mamunuru, Meenakshi; Aydil, Eray S.; Kortshagen, Uwe R.

doi:10.1088/0022-3727/47/7/075202

Cited by 86 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Estimates of the nanoparticle temperature in argon-hydrogen low-pressure discharges indicate that the nanoparticle temperature can exceed the gas temperature by several hundreds of degrees. 39,40 In Ref. 30, we have performed an indirect measurement of the nanoparticle temperature based on the kinetics of crystallization of amorphous silicon nanoparticles 42 suspended in an argonhydrogen discharge and found the particle temperature to be $1100 K. The value obtained in this contribution is slightly larger than this value.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…The details of the interaction between the partially ionized gas and the nanoparticles suspended within it are still actively investigated. 30,39,40 In this work, we do not focus on such details and we treat the second non-thermal plasma as the heating source that provides the heating term G 1 . G 2 is used to account for the energy released during the nucleation and propagation phases, which is equal to the enthalpy of formation of beta silicon carbide (73.223 kJ/mol).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hollow silicon carbide nanoparticles from a non-thermal plasma process

Coleman

Lopez

Yasar-Inceoglu

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Physics

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We demonstrate the synthesis of hollow silicon carbide nanoparticles via a two-step process involving the non-thermal plasma synthesis of silicon nanoparticles, followed by their in-flight carbonization, also initiated by a non-thermal plasma. Simple geometric considerations associated with the expansion of the silicon lattice upon carbonization, in combination of the spherical geometry of the system, explain the formation of hollow nanostructures. This is in contrast with previous reports that justify the formation of hollow particles by means of out-diffusion of the core element, i.e., by the Kirkendall nanoscale effect. A theoretical analysis of the diffusion kinetics indicates that interaction with the ionized gas induces significant nanoparticle heating, allowing for the fast transport of carbon into the silicon particle and for the subsequent nucleation of the beta-silicon carbide phase. This work confirms the potential of non-thermal plasma processes for the synthesis of nanostructures composed of high-melting point materials, and suggests that such processes can be tuned to achieve morphological control. V C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hollow silicon carbide nanoparticles from a non-thermal plasma process

Coleman

Lopez

Yasar-Inceoglu

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Physics

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“…3(a)) favor the crystallization of a-Si:H. An increased probability of crystallization for the case of nanostructured silicon was theoretically predicted by the group of Giulia Galli29: based on the molecular dynamics simulation, the authors revealed that a large-area surface can accommodate the volume expansion induced by the phase transformation (crystallization), resulting in a decrease in the Gibbs free energy for formation of crystalline nucleus in the vicinity of the system surface. Kramer et al 38. calculated the crystallization temperature of 3–5 nm sized silicon nanoparticles from the transient particle energy balance by means of the plasma heating model, and found decreasing crystallization temperature (in the range of 500–750 K) with decreasing particle size.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen-plasma-induced Rapid, Low-Temperature Crystallization of μm-thick a-Si:H Films

Zhou

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Being a low-cost, mass-production-compatible route to attain crystalline silicon, post-deposition crystallization of amorphous silicon has received intensive research interest. Here we report a low-temperature (300 °C), rapid (crystallization rate of ~17 nm/min) means of a-Si:H crystallization based on high-density hydrogen plasma. A model integrating the three processes of hydrogen insertion, etching, and diffusion, which jointly determined the hydrogenation depth of the excess hydrogen into the treated micrometer thick a-Si:H, is proposed to elucidate the hydrogenation depth evolution and the crystallization mechanism. The effective temperature deduced from the hydrogen diffusion coefficient is far beyond the substrate temperature of 300 °C, which implies additional driving forces for crystallization, i.e., the chemical annealing/plasma heating and the high plasma sheath electric field. The features of LFICP (low-frequency inductively coupled plasma) and LFICP-grown a-Si:H are also briefly discussed to reveal the underlying mechanism of rapid crystallization at low temperatures.

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“…A more recent experimental study supported the validity of this model. In this study, amorphous silicon nanoparticles of well-controlled sizes were injected into a second plasma, whose properties were well characterized [33]. By increasing the power in the second plasma, the authors observed the phase transition from amorphous to crystalline nanoparticles.…”

Section: Nanocrystal Synthesismentioning

confidence: 96%

Nonthermal Plasma Synthesis of Nanocrystals: Fundamentals, Applications, and Future Research Needs

Kortshagen

2015

Plasma Chem Plasma Process

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Nonthermal plasma synthesis has emerged as a viable alternative to nanocrystal synthesis in the liquid phase or by other gas phase based methods. The nonequilibrium environment containing free charge carriers enables the synthesis of nanocrystals with excellent crystallinity and narrow size distributions. This paper reviews the fundamental mechanisms involved in the synthesis of nanocrystals with nonthermal plasmas. It discusses the luminescent properties of plasma-produced silicon nanocrystals and their application in devices such as light emitting diodes. The ability of plasma synthesis to generate doped nanocrystals is a particularly appealing attribute. We present boron and phosphorous doped silicon nanocrystals and review their applications as near infrared plasmonic materials. Finally, the author presents his view of some important research needs in the area of nonthermal plasma synthesis of nanocrystals.

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Plasma-induced crystallization of silicon nanoparticles

Cited by 86 publications

References 28 publications

Hollow silicon carbide nanoparticles from a non-thermal plasma process

Hollow silicon carbide nanoparticles from a non-thermal plasma process

Hydrogen-plasma-induced Rapid, Low-Temperature Crystallization of μm-thick a-Si:H Films

Nonthermal Plasma Synthesis of Nanocrystals: Fundamentals, Applications, and Future Research Needs

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