Dysprosium silicide nanowires on Si(110)

Dysprosium deposited on Si(110) at 720 °C is observed to form self-assembled silicide nanowire (NW) structures with a single orientation and average dimensions of 15 nm wide and microns long. The NW sides grow into the substrate along inclined Si{111} planes, forming a V-shaped cross section with an interface that is coherent on one side, described by ${\mathrm{DySi}}_2\text{(0001)//}\mathrm{Si}\text{(111\_)}$ and ${\mathrm{DySi}}_2\text{[011\_0]//}\mathrm{Si}\text{[1\_10],}$ and incoherent on the other. This type of growth represents a physical mechanism for self-assembled NW formation that does not require anisotropic lattice mismatch.