Low temperature synthesis of germanium oxide nanowires by thermal evaporation of germanium in an oxidizing environment

Germanium dioxide nanowires have been synthesized on gold-coated silicon substrate in the temperature range 400- 500 degrees C utilizing a simple quartz tube furnace setup. The source vapor of germanium oxide was formed by thermal evaporation of metallic germanium in an oxidizing environment. The nanowire growth follows the catalyst assisted vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism and yields good control over length and diameter. The nanowires are dense but randomly oriented on the substrate. The nanowires synthesis was found to be strongly dependent upon substrate temperature. The potential application of these nanowires as substrate for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is also presented.