Segmented nanowires displaying locally controllable properties
US8389387B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 6, 2010 |
| Grant date | Mar 5, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 2, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/762
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Vapor-liquid-solid growth of nanowires is tailored to achieve complex one-dimensional material geometries using phase diagrams determined for nanoscale materials. Segmented one-dimensional nanowires having constant composition display locally variable electronic band structures that are determined by the diameter of the nanowires. The unique electrical and optical properties of the segmented nanowires are exploited to form electronic and optoelectronic devices. Using gold-germanium as a model system, in situ transmission electron microscopy establishes, for nanometer-sized Au—Ge alloy drops at the tips of Ge nanowires (NWs), the parts of the phase diagram that determine their temperature-dependent equilibrium composition. The nanoscale phase diagram is then used to determine the exchange of material between the NW and the drop. The phase diagram for the nanoscale drop deviates significantly from that of the bulk alloy.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.