e-Information on Wires: A First Step toward Two-Terminal Silicon Nanowires for Electronic Memory Devices

Presently, there is a rapid growth of interest in the area of flexible electronics. Benefits such as light weight, durability, and low cost are among the most appealing aspects. However, the high temperatures throughout the fabrication processes are still the main hurdle. In this study, the deposition of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) at low temperature (300 °C) using tin (Sn) catalyst is studied. Silicon nanostructures have been the center of research for many years for a number of applications in different areas. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and other industrial deposition techniques for the growth of crystalline silicon micro- and nanostructures use high temperatures and therefore are not compatible with temperature-sensitive substrates. This work utilizes a low-temperature deposition method for the growth of SiNWs and creates a leeway to use flexible plastic sheets as substrates. The silicon nanowires were deposited by exploiting the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) material growth mechanism using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. The suitability of these structures, as an information storage material, for future flash and two-terminal nonvolatile memory devices is investigated. Strong charge storage behavior with a retention time up to 5 h was observed, showing great potential for the future memory candidate.