Selective Wet Etching of Silicon Germanium in Composite Vertical Nanowires.

Silicon germanium (SiGe or SiGe) is an important semiconductor material for the fabrication of nanowire-based gate-all-around transistors in the next-generation logic and memory devices. During the fabrication process, SiGe can be used either as a sacrificial layer to form suspended horizontal Si nanowires or, because of its higher carrier mobility, as a possible channel material that replaces Si in both horizontal and vertical nanowires. In both cases, there is a pressing need to understand and develop nanoscale etching processes that enable controlled and selective removal of SiGe with respect to Si.

Direct Observations of the Rotation and Translation of Anisotropic Nanoparticles Adsorbed at a Liquid-Solid Interface.

We can learn about the interactions between nanoparticles (NPs) in solution and solid surfaces by tracking how they move. Here, we use liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to follow directly the translation and rotation of Au nanobipyramids (NBPs) and nanorods (NRs) adsorbed onto a SiN surface at a rate of 300 frames per second. This study is motivated by the enduring need for a detailed description of NP motion on this common surface in liquid cell TEM.

In Situ Kinetic and Thermodynamic Growth Control of Au-Pd Core-Shell Nanoparticles.

One-pot wet-chemical synthesis is a simple way to obtain nanoparticles (NPs) with a well-defined shape and composition. However, achieving good control over NP synthesis would require a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of NP formation, something that is challenging to obtain experimentally. Here, we study the formation of gold (Au) core-palladium (Pd) shell NPs under kinetically and thermodynamically controlled reaction conditions using in situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Nanoparticle Interactions Guided by Shape-Dependent Hydrophobic Forces.

Self-assembly of solvated nanoparticles (NPs) is governed by numerous competing interactions. However, relatively little is known about the time-dependent mechanisms through which these interactions enable and guide the nanoparticle self-assembly process. Here, using in situ transmission electron microscopy imaging combined with atomistic modeling, it is shown that the forces governing the self-assembly of hydrophobic nanoparticles change with the nanoparticle shapes.