Si nanopillar arrays with nanocrystals produced by template-induced growth at room temperature

Well-aligned and closely-packed silicon nanopillar (SNP) arrays are fabricated by using a simple method with magnetron sputtering of Si on a porous anodic alumina (PAA) template at room temperature. The SNPs are formed by selective growth on the top of the PAA pore walls. The growth mechanism analysis indicates that the structure of the SNPs can be modulated by the pore spacing of the PAA and the sputtering process and is independent of the wall width of the PAA. Moreover, nanocrystals are identified by using transmission electron microscopy in the as-deposited SNP samples, which are related to the heat isolation structure of the SNPs. The Raman focus depth profile reveals a high crystallization ratio on the surface.