In Situ/Operando Studies for Reduced Eletromigration in Ag Nanowires with Stacking Faults

In this study, the effect of stacking faults (SFs) on electromigration in silver nanowires (AgNWs) in particular, with respect to their effects on necking and void growth, is investigated. The galvanic replacement reaction is used to synthesize the AgNWs in bulk at low cost. By varying the concentration of silver nitrate, AgNWs are obtained with and without SFs. In situ TEM analysis provides strong evidence that the SFs can effectively suppress the migration of surface atoms. Furthermore, an investigation of the void growth process reveals that SF facets parallel to the {111} plane contribute to the anisotropic change in morphology and slow down the rate of void growth by 135 times. Thus, planar defects can be beneficial to extending the lifetimes of devices by causing intrinsic changes to the material properties.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effect of stacking faults (SFs) on electromigration in silver nanowires (AgNWs), specifically with regards to necking and void growth. AgNWs are synthesized using the galvanic replacement reaction at a low cost. By varying the concentration of silver nitrate, AgNWs with and without SFs are obtained. In situ TEM analysis provides strong evidence that SFs effectively suppress the migration of surface atoms. Additionally, the investigation of void growth process reveals that SF facets parallel to the {111} plane contribute to anisotropic morphological changes and slow down the rate of void growth by 135 times. Therefore, planar defects can extend the lifetimes of devices by causing intrinsic changes to material properties.