Rapid, Low-Temperature Growth of Sub-10 nm Silica Nanowires through Plasma Pretreatment for Antireflection Applications

Silica nanowires were rapidly grown at the Pt–Si eutectic temperature (830 °C) through active oxidation. Because a silica source with a high amount of SiO is required for high solubility in a small droplet, we developed a plasma treatment that was conducted on a platinum thin film prior to nanowire growth to incorporate a high amount of silica source into the droplets. After the samples were pretreated with hydrogen and argon plasma, sub-10 nm silica nanowires were successfully grown through 1.8 nm Pt thin films on silicon wafers. This is an effective method to grow thin nanowires on nanopillars with low surface reflection at low temperatures.