Effect of Silicon Wafer Resistivity on Morphology and Wettability of Silicon Nanowires Arrays

Herein, we prepare vertical and single crystalline silicon nanowires (SiNWs) via a one-step metal-assisted chemical etching method in aqueous NH4HF2/AgNO3 solution. The effects of silicon substrate resistivity and concentrations of NH4HF2 and AgNO3 on the etching process were examined. Two properties were studied, the morphology and the wettability of etched layers. The morphology of the silicon nanowire (SiNW) layers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) while the wettability was studied by contact angle measurement system. It was established that the morphology is strongly influenced by etching parameters and their wettability changes from superhydrophilic to hydrophobic.

Automated summary

In this study, vertical and single crystalline silicon nanowires were successfully prepared using a one-step metal-assisted chemical etching method. The effects of silicon substrate resistivity and concentrations of NH4HF2 and AgNO3 on the etching process were examined, with a focus on the morphology and wettability changes of the etched layers. It was found that the morphology of the silicon nanowires was strongly influenced by the etching parameters, leading to a shift in wettability from superhydrophilic to hydrophobic.