Mechanical, Structural and Optical Properties of the Silicon Nanowire Arrays

The present work discusses the systematic study of mechanical properties of the silicon nanostructures formed by metal assisted chemical etching (MACE). Silver electrolyte solution, along with hydrogen fluoride, was utilized in formation of silicon nanostructures. An optimized condition of etching time and silver electrolyte concentration were utilized to obtain high aspect ratio, defect-free and high density nanowire arrays on Si wafers. The as-prepared silicon nanostructures (SiNS) were investigated by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nano indentation technique to bring out the morphological and mechanical properties. Further, the variation in optical properties of the bulk silicon and Si nanowire arrays were also investigated to determine the formation of nanostructures.