ABSTRACT
Ultra-high-density silicon nanocone arrays with sharp tips have been fabricated by Ar+ sputtering at low temperatures. The investigation of SEM and AFM indicates that with an increasing substrate temperature from room temperature, 200 to 400°C, the density of silicon nanocone increases from 1–2 × 109, 3–4 × 109 to 1–2 × 1010 cm−2, respectively. The rooter diameter of the cones decreases from 120–150 to 40–50 nm and the tip angle of cones decreases from 32–36° to 20–26°. As predicted by the Bradley–Harper theory, the ripple wavelength decreases with substrate temperature during the carbon ripple formation process, which leads to an increase in the silicon nanocone density and a decrease in the silicon nanocone rooter diameter.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by authors.