Synthesis of silicon nanocones using rf microplasma at atmospheric pressure

We report the synthesis of silicon nanocones using the rf microplasma discharge at atmospheric pressure. The products formed underneath the tube electrode on Fe-coated crystalline silicon were constituted mainly of silicon and silicon oxide despite the use of a methane-argon mixture. Carbon nanotubes and silicon nanowires were also formed around the silicon nanocones. The number density and average size of silicon nanocones increased with the plasma exposure time accompanied by the enlargement of their surface distribution. The growth mechanism of silicon nanocones is discussed in terms of the catalytic growth via diffusion of silicon with nanocrystalline Si particle through FeSix nanoclusters, and enhanced Si oxidation by the plasma heating. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.