This letter reports a synthetic route adaptable for the continuous, large-scale production of germanium (Ge) nanocrystals for emerging electronic and optoelectronic applications. Using an ultrasonic aerosol pyrolysis approach, diamond cubic Ge nanocrystals with dense, spherical morphologies and sizes ranging from 3to14nm are synthesized at 700°C from an ultrasonically generated aerosol of tetrapropylgermane (TPG) precursor and toluene solvent. The ultimate crystal size demonstrates a near linear relationship within the range of TPG concentrations investigated, while the shape of the measured size distributions predicts multiple particle formation mechanisms during aerosol decomposition and condensation.

1.
T.
Feng
,
H.
Yu
,
M.
Dicken
,
J. R.
Heath
, and
H. A.
Atwater
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
86
,
033103
(
2005
).
2.
G.
Konstantatos
,
I.
Howard
,
A.
Fischer
,
S.
Hoogland
,
J.
Clifford
,
E.
Klem
,
L.
Levina
, and
E. H.
Sargent
,
Nature (London)
442
,
180
(
2006
).
3.
W.-J.
Chiang
,
C. Y.
Chen
,
C. J.
Lin
,
Y. C.
King
,
A. T.
Cho
,
C. T.
Peng
,
C. W.
Chao
,
K. C.
Lin
, and
F. Y.
Gan
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
91
,
051120
(
2007
).
4.
I.
Gur
,
N. A.
Fromer
,
M. L.
Geier
, and
A. P.
Alivisatos
,
Science
310
,
462
(
2005
).
5.
A.
Maria
,
P. W.
Cyr
,
E. J. D.
Klem
,
L.
Levina
, and
E. H.
Sargent
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
87
,
213112
(
2005
).
6.
H.
Li
,
X.
Huang
,
L.
Chen
,
Z.
Wu
, and
Y.
Liang
,
Electrochem. Solid-State Lett.
2
,
547
(
1999
).
7.
C. J.
Murphy
,
J. Mater. Chem.
18
,
2173
(
2008
).
8.
J. R.
Heath
and
J. J.
Shiang
,
Chem. Soc. Rev.
27
,
65
(
1998
).
9.
R.
Gresback
,
Z.
Holman
, and
U.
Kortshagen
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
91
,
093119
(
2007
).
10.
X.
Lu
,
K. J.
Ziegler
,
A.
Ghezelbash
,
K. P.
Johnston
, and
B. A.
Korgel
,
Nano Lett.
4
,
969
(
2004
).
11.
D.
Gerion
,
N.
Zaitseva
,
C.
Saw
,
M. F.
Casula
,
S.
Fakra
,
T.
Van Buuren
, and
G.
Galli
,
Nano Lett.
4
,
597
(
2004
).
12.
B.
Xia
,
I. W.
Lenggoro
, and
K.
Okuyama
,
Adv. Mater. (Weinheim, Ger.)
13
,
1579
(
2001
).
13.
W.-N.
Wang
,
A.
Purwanto
,
I. W.
Lenggoro
,
K.
Okuyama
,
H.
Chang
, and
H. D.
Jang
,
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.
47
,
1650
(
2008
).
14.
C. Y.
Chen
,
T. K.
Tseng
,
S. C.
Tsai
,
C. K.
Lin
, and
H. M.
Lin
,
Ceram. Int.
34
,
409
(
2008
).
15.
Y. T.
Didenko
and
K. S.
Suslick
,
J. Am. Chem. Soc.
127
,
12196
(
2005
).
16.
Y. M.
Niquet
,
G.
Allan
,
C.
Delerue
, and
M.
Lannoo
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
77
,
1182
(
2000
).
17.
L.
Dal Negro
,
M.
Cazzanelli
,
L.
Pavesi
,
S.
Ossicini
,
D.
Pacifici
,
G.
Franzo
,
F.
Priolo
, and
F.
Iacona
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
82
,
4636
(
2003
).
18.
M. C.
Beard
,
K. P.
Knutsen
,
P.
Yu
,
J. M.
Luther
,
Q.
Song
,
W. K.
Metzger
,
R. J.
Ellingson
, and
A. J.
Nozik
,
Nano Lett.
7
,
2506
(
2007
).
19.
X.
Lu
,
B. A.
Korgel
, and
K. P.
Johnston
,
Chem. Mater.
17
,
6479
(
2005
).
20.
H.
Gerung
,
S. D.
Bunge
,
T. J.
Boyle
,
C. J.
Brinker
, and
S. M.
Han
,
Chem. Commun. (Cambridge)
2005
,
1914
.
21.
H. P.
Wu
,
M. Y.
Ge
,
C. W.
Yao
,
Y. W.
Wang
,
Y. W.
Zeng
,
L. N.
Wang
,
G. Q.
Zhang
, and
J. Z.
Jiang
,
Nanotechnology
17
,
5339
(
2006
).
22.
A. J.
Barker
,
B.
Cage
,
S.
Russek
, and
C. R.
Stoldt
,
J. Appl. Phys.
98
,
063528
(
2005
).
You do not currently have access to this content.