Single-crystalline alpha silicon–nitride nanowires: Large-scale synthesis, characterization, and optic properties

Abstract

Single-crystalline alpha silicon–nitride nanowires have been achieved with large scale by the reaction of Mg3N2 and SiCl4 at 600 °C. Electron microscopy analyses have revealed that the nanowires have only ∼35nm in diameter, up to 5 μm in length, and a preferred [001] growth direction. The nanowires exhibit the quantum size effect in optical properties, showing the redshift of an infrared band and the blueshift of the photoluminescence band. The growth mechanism of the nanowires have been properly discussed.

A Novel Approach to Silicon‐Nanowire‐Assisted Growth of High‐Purity, Single‐Crystalline β‐Si3N4 Nanowires

“…The weak peaks appearing between 400 and 600 nm are believed to derive from existing defects and impurities in the sample. [12,17] In these experiments, photoluminescence was not observed, confirming a good crystalline structure. Figure 5A displays a Raman scattering spectrum of the as-received sample.…”

“…Zhou et al have synthesized single-crystalline a-Si 3 N 4 NWs by using a chemical metathesis process, and found a blue-shift in the photoluminescence band. [17] It is known that Si 3 N 4 usually possesses two types of structural modifications of metastable, lowtemperature phase a-Si 3 N 4 and stable, high-temperature phase hexagonal b-Si 3 N 4 . [18,19] The metastable a-Si 3 N 4 may transform into the stable b-Si 3 N 4 at high temperature.…”

The effects of annealing temperature on the photoluminescence from silicon nitride multilayer structures

“…The mechanism responsible for the observed PL from this composite is unclear. The PL emission is far from those observed values for a-Si 3 N 4 nanowires [15] and nanobelts [12][13][14] and is also far from the intrinsic bandgap energies of both a-Si 3 N 4 and bSi 3 N 4 [33].…”

“…There has also been recent interest in nanostructured a-Si 3 N 4 , in the form of nanobelts [12][13][14] and nanowires [15], for optoelectronic applications, which stems from observed room temperature PL. The PL mechanism for a-Si 3 N 4 nanostructures is also still unclear.…”

Comparison of Silicon Nitride Nanofibers Synthesized Using Silica Nanopowders and Silica Gel

“…At a temperature of 1400˚C, in a flowing nitrogen gas atmosphere, a white wool-like layer of beta silicon nitride was observed. Zou et al [19] presented a low temperature method of synthesis involving the reaction between Mg 3 Cl 2 and SiCl 4 at 600˚C. Alpha silicon nitride nanowires formed with a fairly high purity.…”