Sample refinement and manipulation of silicon nanowires: A step towards single wire characterization

Refined silicon nanowires have been prepared by a mild etching process and suspended into liquid in order to make them manageable for individual characterization. A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study has revealed that the etching starts selectively at defect sites on the wires. This implies that the refined wires have many fewer defects than those made of raw materials. Efforts have been made to mount single nanowires onto the desired electrodes by electrophoresis. Compared with the commonly used microactuation method in the field, this is a far more realistic practical use of the wires that has an industrial value.