A new growth method for the synthesis of 3C-SiC nanowires

A new method has been developed to grow nickel-catalysed SiC nanowires on silicon, by a chemical reaction involving carbon tetrachloride as a single precursor. This produces long crystalline 3C-SiC nanowires with 111 axis, as verified by transmission electron microscopy. A broad optical emission centred at about 2 eV is detected by cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. The Gaussian component at about 2.2 eV corresponds to the indirect 3C-SiC band gap emission, while the dominant red emission is related to oxygen incorporation.