Abstract
Two-dimensional extremely thin single-crystalline alpha-Si3N4 microribbons have been achieved in bulk via a thermal decomposition nitridation. The alpha-Si3N4 microribbons have small thicknesses of similar to10-20 nm, large widths of similar to10-25 mum and long lengths ranging from several hundred micrometers to the order of millimeters, and have the same growth direction of [10 (1) over bar0] crystallographic orientation and are enclosed by +/-(0001) and +/-(2 (1) over bar(1) over bar0) facets. Room temperature cathodoluminescence from individual ribbons shows one intensive UV emission peak at similar to305 nm, and two weak and broad emission peaks at similar to540 and similar to735 nm, respectively. The form of alpha-Si3N4 is expected not only to possess many interesting mechanical properties, but also to have different optical properties. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.