Plasma production of nanodevice-grade semiconductor nanocrystals

Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) offer new opportunities for optical and electronic devices ranging from single-electron transistors to large-area solar cells. Solution synthesis methods cannot reach the temperatures necessary to produce crystalline nanoparticles of covalently bonded materials, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physics. D, Applied physics Applied physics, 2011-05, Vol.44 (17), p.174009
Main Authors: Holman, Z C, Kortshagen, U R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Materials science
Methods of nanofabrication
Nanopowders
Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization
Natural energy
Photovoltaic conversion
Physics
Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells
Solar energy
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Summary:Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) offer new opportunities for optical and electronic devices ranging from single-electron transistors to large-area solar cells. Solution synthesis methods cannot reach the temperatures necessary to produce crystalline nanoparticles of covalently bonded materials, and most gas-phase techniques suffer from particle agglomeration and sintering. Nonthermal plasma synthesis, however, can produce high-quality NCs of key materials such as Si and Ge. In this review, we examine the current state and future challenges of the growing field of plasma-synthesized NCs from a device applications perspective. We identify NC microstructure, morphology, ensemble monodispersity, surface chemistry and doping as being vital to the success of next-generation devices, and we discuss research opportunities to understand and control these properties during plasma synthesis.
ISSN:0022-3727
1361-6463
DOI:10.1088/0022-3727/44/17/174009