Abstract
A thermodynamic theory of the growth of semiconductor nanowhisker (NW) crystals according to the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism has been developed. An expression is proposed for the effective surface energy of the system, which is considered as a function of the NW radius and the contact angle of a liquid catalyst drop. Minimization of the surface energy leads to two possible modes of the VLS growth. In a standard mode that is realized when the Nebolsin-Shchetinin-Glas (NSC) condition is valid, the drop is not wetting the side surface of the NW. In the opposite case, the growth proceeds in a wetting mode, whereby the drop spreads about the NW top. It is shown for the first time that, even when the NSC condition is valid, the effective surface energy has two minima separated by a barrier and the minimum corresponding to the wetting mode is lower than that for the non-wetting mode. The results are applied to an analysis of the polytypism observed for GaAs nanowhiskers grown with Au and Ga catalysts.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R. S. Wagner and W. C. Ellis, Appl. Phys. Lett. 4, 89 (1964).
E. I. Givargizov, Vapor Phase Growth of Whisker and Platelet Crystals (Nauka, Moscow, 1977) [in Russian].
V. G. Dubrovskii, G. E. Cirlin, and V. M. Ustinov, Semiconductors 43, 1539 (2009).
P. Yang, R. Yan, and M. Fardy, Nano Lett. 10, 1529 (2010).
V. A. Nebol’sin and A. A. Shchetinin, Neorg. Mater. 39, 1050 (2003).
J. Johansson, L. S. Karlsson, C. P. T. Svensson, et al., Nature Mater. 5, 574 (2006).
F. Glas, J. C. Harmand, and G. Patriarche, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 146101 (2007).
J. Johansson, L. S. Karlsson, K. A. Dick, et al., Cryst. Growth Design 9, 766 (2009).
V. G. Dubrovskii, N. V. Sibirev, G. E. Cirlin, et al., Phys. Rev. B 80, 205305 (2009).
V. G. Dubrovskii, Tech. Phys. Lett. 37, 53 (2011).
V. G. Dubrovskii and M. V. Nazarenko, Tech. Phys. Lett. 37, 427 (2011).
V. G. Dubrovskii, N. V. Sibirev, G. E. Cirlin, et al., Phys. Rev. E 77, 031606 (2008).
V. G. Dubrovskii, N. V. Sibirev, R. A. Suris, et al., Surf. Sci. 601, 4395 (2007).
V. G. Dubrovskii, G. E. Cirlin, N. V. Sibirev, et al., Nano Lett. 11, 1247 (2011).
G. E. Cirlin, V. G. Dubrovskii, Yu. B. Samsonenko, et al., Phys. Rev. B 82, 035302 (2010).
F. Jabeen, V. Grillo, S. Rubini, and F. Martelli, Nanotecnology 19, 275711 (2008).
P. Krogstrup, R. Popovitz-Biro, E. Johnson, et al., Nano Lett. 10, 4475 (2010).
D. Spirkoska, J. Arbiol, A. Gustafsson, et al., Phys. Rev. B 80, 245325 (2009).
L. D. Landau and E. M Lifshitz, Statistical Physics (Nauka, Moscow, 1964; Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1969).
V. G. Dubrovskii, N. V. Sibirev, X. Zhang, and R. A. Suris, Cryst. Growth Design 10, 3949 (2010).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © V.G. Dubrovskii, A.D. Bol’shakov, 2012, published in Pis’ma v Zhurnal Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, 2012, Vol. 38, No. 7, pp. 21–30.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dubrovskii, V.G., Bol’shakov, A.D. Surface energy and modes of catalytic growth of semiconductor nanowhiskers. Tech. Phys. Lett. 38, 311–315 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063785012040050
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063785012040050