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First Nano, a division of CVD Equipment Corp of Ronkonkoma, NY, USA, has shipped a silicon-germanium (SiGe) chemical vapor deposition system to CEA Grenoble, France. The EasyTube 3000, Easy Gas and Easy Exhaust systems were configured specifically for SiGe nanowires, together comprising the first commercial turnkey system offered for this type of material growth, the firm believes.

The system will be used within the Minatec center in Grenoble by the Silicon Nanoelectronics Photonics and Structures (SiNaPS) laboratory, which was established in 2000 as part of the Institute for Nanoscience and Cryogenics’ Department of Basic Research into Condensed Matter (INAC-DRFMC) and Service de Physique des Matériaux et Des Microstructures (SP2M). The lab focuses on researching the physics and optics of low-dimensional silicon-based nanostructures and their applications to the emerging fields of nanophotonics and nanoelectronics.

The SiNaPS lab will use the system to further develop research programs on semiconductor nanowires, in close collaboration with the Laboratorie des Technologies de la Microelectronique (LTM) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), which also took part in funding the system. “The purchase of the EasyTube3000 will enlarge the spectrum of our research with the growth of heterostructured nanowires, their doping, and with the possibility to extend the growth to a wide variety of other materials thanks to the liquid precursor kits,” says CEA engineer Pascal Gentile. “Our projects cover fundamental aspects (growth, carrier transport...) as well as potential applications (nano-electronics, solar energy, nanophotonics, MEMS and sensors,” he adds.

To date, SiGe nanowires have been produced in a few research laboratories by ultrahigh-vacuum CVD (UHV-CVD). However, First Nano says that it remains a challenge to control the diameter, length, uniformity and purity of the synthesized SiGe nanowires because of their low dimensionality. The EasyTube ET3000 system provides precise control of pressure, chemical delivery and temperature for SiGe nanowire synthesis, says Gary Dyal, director of marketing/sales.

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