The effects of substrate Type on of SiC Nanowires Orientation

Nanowires (NWs) open promising near-future perspectives for the design and fabrication of nano-scale devices. The main interests are in nanoelectronic devices (e.g. nano field-effect transistors), nano-electromechanical systems able to operate even in harsh environments, and nano-sensors exploiting high selectivity and compatibility with biological systems. Cubic silicon carbide (-SiC or 3C-SiC) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor which displays high hardness, electron mobility, thermal conductivity and resistance to the chemical attack. 3C-SiC nanowires (SiC-NWs) are interesting because their good physical and chemical properties make them a promising material for devices operating in harsh environments. In this communication, we will present the results regarding the growth of -SiC NWs grown on different substrates: Si (100), Si(111), 3C-SiC, 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC were placed in the reactor chamber after deposition of few nm of Ni as catalyst. The SiC nanowires growth was obtained using a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method with silane and propane diluted in hydrogen (3%) as precursors. The deposition was generally performed at atmospheric pressure and with a growth temperature of 1100?C after dewetting of the catalyst. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization has been made use of for identifying the nanowires structure. The morphology and the crystal habit of the grown nanowires were further investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), while the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images and the SAD patterns proved useful for detailing the nanowires structure