Formation of Micrometer-Sized Textured Hexagonal Silicon Crystals via Nanoindentation

M Bikerouin and A Marzegalli and D Spirito and GJK Schaffar and C Bongiorno and F Rovaris and M Zaghloul and AA Corley-Wiciak and L Miglio and V Maier-Kiener and G Capellini and AM Mio and E Scalise, SMALL STRUCTURES, 6 (2025).

DOI: 10.1002/sstr.202400552

A comprehensive study on the formation of micrometer-sized, textured hexagonal diamond silicon (hd-Si) crystals via nanoindentation followed by annealing is presented. Utilizing advanced characterization techniques such as polarized Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy, the successful transformation of silicon into high-quality hd-Si is demonstrated. The experimental results are further supported by first- principles calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. Notably, the hd-Si phase consists of nanometer-sized grains with slight misorientations, organized into large micrometer-scale textured domains. These findings underscore the potential of nanoindentation as a precise and versatile tool for inducing pressure-driven phase transformations, particularly for the stabilization of hexagonal silicon. The textured nature of hd-Si also presents a unique opportunity to tailor its optical properties, opening new avenues for its application in semiconductor and optoelectronic devices.

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