Dependence of the silicon nanowire diameter on ambient pressure

Our present work provides a method to control the diameters of the silicon nanowires. As a dominant experimental parameter, the ambient pressure was controlled between 150 and 600 Torr. It is found that the average size of the silicon nanowires increases with increasing ambient pressure. The mean diameter of the silicon nanowires in our study is proportional to the 0.4 power of ambient pressure. Catalytic nanoparticles and the periodic instability of the nanowires suggest a vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism. For the growth of nanowires, an explanation of the relationship between the mean diameter of the silicon nanowires and the ambient pressure has been proposed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)00949-8].