Synthesis of tin-catalyzed silicon nanowires using the hydrogen radical-assisted deposition method and its application for solar cells

Tin-catalyzed silicon nanowires (Sn-catalyzed SiNWs) are synthesized using the hydrogen radical-assisted deposition method and the prepared samples are examined for application of solar cells. Voluminous SiNWs with various growth directions are synthesized for 10 min at 400 °C through the vapor–liquid–solid and the vapor–solid mechanisms. Their diameters are approximately 20–120 nm and their lengths extended to about 4 μm. The formation mode of metal catalyst and growth models of SiNWs by this method are proposed. In the application of solar cells, a superior characteristic below 0.5% in reflectance are obtained. Furthermore, well-arranged large quantities of SiNWs are synthesized on a thinly Sn-coated (∼30 nm) c-Si substrate.