1 research outputs found
Magnetically Guided Nano–Micro Shaping and Slicing of Silicon
Silicon is one of the most important materials for modern
electronics,
telecom, and photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. With the rapidly expanding
use of Si in the global economy, it would be highly desirable to reduce
the overall use of Si material, especially to make the PVs more affordable
and widely used as a renewable energy source. Here we report the first
successful direction-guided, nano/microshaping of silicon, the intended
direction of which is dictated by an applied magnetic field. Micrometer
thin, massively parallel silicon sheets, very tall Si microneedles,
zigzag bent Si nanowires, and tunnel drilling into Si substrates have
all been demonstrated. The technique, utilizing narrow array of Au/Fe/Au
trilayer etch lines, is particularly effective in producing only micrometer-thick
Si sheets by rapid and inexpensive means with only 5 μm level
slicing loss of Si material, thus practically eliminating the waste
(and also the use) of Si material compared to the ∼200 μm
kerf loss per slicing and ∼200 μm thick wafer in the
typical saw-cut Si solar cell preparation. We expect that such nano/microshaping
will enable a whole new family of novel Si geometries and exciting
applications, including flexible Si circuits and highly antireflective
zigzag nanowire coatings