R&D institute integrates nanotechnology and cmos

Leti's researchers have demonstrated that silicon nanowires can be made at temperatures as low as 400°C using a copper based catalyst and what it calls an 'unconventional' preparation method. This is a much lower temperature than previously required for silicon nanowire synthesis using copper. The organisation believes this breakthrough will help to bridge the gap between cmos technology and the bottom up growth of nanowires. Potential applications include the addition of non digital functions – such as sensors and advanced photovoltaic architectures – to cmos fabrication processes. "This nanowire breakthrough is a beautiful illustration of our mission," said Leti CEO Laurent Malier, "because the project was bound by industrial constraints from the start." In a recently published article in Nature Nanotechnology, the researchers explained their breakthrough was achieved by 'transgressing a very well established axiom in nanowire growth'. Previously, the researchers claim, oxidized metals were not considered suitable for nanowire synthesis. However, Leti oxidised the copper catalyst and using the high chemical activity of copper oxide to reduce the nanowire synthesis temperature.