<i>Ab Initio</i> Design, Shaping, and Assembly of Free-Standing Silicon Nanoprobes
Zongguang Liu, Yan Jiang, Haiguang Ma, Tiancheng Hu, Junzhuan Wang, Yi Shi, Jun Xu, Kunji Chen, Linwei Yu
Abstract
geometry designs has not been possible. In this work, we demonstrate a novel growth shaping of slim Si nanowires (SiNWs) into SiNPs with sharp tips (curvature radii <300 nm), tunable angles of 30°, 60°, to 120° and even programmable triangle/circular shapes. A precise growth integration of orderly single, double, and quadruple SiNPs at prescribed locations enables convenient electrode connection, transferring and mounting these tiny tips onto movable arms to serve as long-protruding (over 4-20 μm) nanoprobes. Mechanical flexibility, resilience, and field-effect sensing functionality of the SiNPs were systematically testified in liquid nanodroplet and cell environments. This highly reliable and economic manufacturing of advanced SiNPs holds a strong potential to boost and open up the market implementations of a wide range of intracellular sensing, monitoring, and editing applications.