From Droplets to Nanowires: Dynamics of Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth

From Droplets to Nanowires: Dynamics of Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth

Semiconductor nanowires can be grown through a process in which a liquid eutectic droplet at  the tip of the wire captures material from a vapor and deposits it at the wire tip.  This vapor-liquid-solid process can be utilized to construct nanoscale electronic devices, and has therefore become a topic of intense experimental study.    The experiments have revealed a complex range of behaviors, one that is not adequately addressed by the relatively simple, quasi-equilibrium models currently available.  This talk will present a new continuum model of reactive droplet dynamics developed to describe nanowire growth more realistically.  The predictions of the model with respect to isotropic growth, catalyst diffusion and coarsening, faceted growth, and so on will be  explored for the case of a two-dimensional droplet.  Even for this simplified system, many of the experimentally observed phenomena seem to arise naturally from the model.  If time permits,  possible extensions of the model to other interesting systems will be discussed.

Semiconductor nanowires can be grown through a process in which a liquid eutectic droplet at  the tip of the wire captures material from a vapor and deposits it at the wire tip.  This vapor-liquid-solid process can be utilized to construct nanoscale electronic devices, and has therefore become a topic of intense experimental study.    The experiments have revealed a complex range of behaviors, one that is not adequately addressed by the relatively simple, quasi-equilibrium models currently available.  This talk will present a new continuum model of reactive droplet dynamics developed to describe nanowire growth more realistically.  The predictions of the model with respect to isotropic growth, catalyst diffusion and coarsening, faceted growth, and so on will be  explored for the case of a two-dimensional droplet.  Even for this simplified system, many of the experimentally observed phenomena seem to arise naturally from the model.  If time permits,  possible extensions of the model to other interesting systems will be discussed.