SYNTHESIS OF AMORPHOUS SiO_x NANOSTRUCTURES

Various amorphous SiO_x nanotube structures nucleated by GeO_x nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal evaporation method. The presence of Ge does not only nucleate the growth of the SiO_x nanomaterials, but also dopes them. The nanostructure morphology is affected by the substrate temperature, source temperature and GeO_x vapor density through their effect on the size and lifetime of the nucleation center. In general, low substrate temperature promotes the formation of the nanotube bundle structure with 2–3% atomic ratio of Ge doping, and high temperature produces Ge-free much less bundled nanotubes.