Self-assembling silicon nanowires for device applications using the nanochannel-guided "grow-in-place" approach.

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have been grown with our nanochannel-template-guided "grow-in-place" approach and used in-place for resistor and transistor fabrication. In this methodology, empty nanochannels of a permanent template literally guide the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism of SiNW growth and give control of the self-assembling nanowires' size, number, position, and orientation. The approach is demonstrated to give self-positioned/self-assembled SiNWs which are then used for device fabrication without any intervening SiNW collection, positioning, and assembling steps. These SiNWs may be grown so that they are extruded from, or confined within, the permanent nanochannel-template, as desired. The nanowire grow-in-place fabrication approach offers the potential for mass and environmentally benign manufacturing. The latter potential arises since only the exact number of nanowires needed is fabricated and these nanowires are always fixed at the position of use by the guiding nanochannels.