Hydrogen-terminated silicon nanoparticles were synthesized over a broad range of conditions in a continuous flow, nonthermal rf plasma. The effects of three operating parameters—rf power, reactor pressure, and hydrogen flow rate—were examined in terms of their effects on particle crystallinity, size, and surface composition. Silicon-hydrogen composition was characterized in situ by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and particle structural morphology was examined with a transmission electron microscope. Amorphous or crystalline particles could be synthesized by appropriately adjusting the operating parameters. Over the majority of settings examined, the minimum power required to produce discrete crystalline particles was . Depending on the parameter settings, particles also exhibited hydrogen coverage ranging from predominantly monohydride (SiH) functional groups to more complex compositions of higher hydrides. Particles with the highest proportion of surface SiH bonds were consistently synthesized in the smallest diameter ( i.d.) tube reactor.
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March 2010
Research Article|
January 14 2010
Modifying the composition of hydrogen-terminated silicon nanoparticles synthesized in a nonthermal rf plasma
Jason Holm;
Jason Holm
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
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Jeffrey T. Roberts
Jeffrey T. Roberts
a)
Department of Chemistry,
Purdue University
, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
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a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: jtrob@purdue.edu
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 28, 161–169 (2010)
Article history
Received:
August 13 2009
Accepted:
December 02 2009
Citation
Jason Holm, Jeffrey T. Roberts; Modifying the composition of hydrogen-terminated silicon nanoparticles synthesized in a nonthermal rf plasma. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 March 2010; 28 (2): 161–169. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.3276451
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