Sb nanowires with a homogeneous distribution of diameters of about 25 nm and length up to several microns are
synthesized by a FIB induced self-assembling process. In contrast to a broad class of techniques for nanowire growth,
neither heating of the sample nor any additional materials source is required, thereby being compatible with on-chip
microelectronics. We propose a synthesis model similar to the well known vapor-liquid-solid mechanism with Ga acting
as catalyst. The vapour-liquid-solid mechanism deals with the fact that a catalytic metal particle on the sample surface
forms a liquid alloy cluster if the ambient temperature is high enough and serves as the preferential site for adsorption of
reactant. It is supposed that supersaturation is the driving force for nucleation of seeds at the interface between the alloy
cluster and the substrate surface giving rise to a highly anisotropic growth of nanostructures. We assume that FIB
processing produces mobile Ga species on the surface which rapidly agglomerate forming catalytic nanoclusters.
Sputtered Sb diffuses on the surface and acts as a quasi-vapor phase source. When the solved Sb concentration exceeds
saturation, nucleation sites will be formed which initiate the precipitation of the Sb. We integrated such synthesized NWs
in CMOS compatible resitivity type gas sensors.
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