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Growth and optical properties of In x Ga1−x P nanowires synthesized by selective-area epitaxy

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Abstract

Ternary III–V nanowires (NWs) cover a wide range of wavelengths in the solar spectrum and would greatly benefit from being synthesized as position-controlled arrays for improved vertical yield, reproducibility, and tunable optical absorption. Here, we report on successful selective-area epitaxy of metal-particle-free vertical In x Ga1−x P NW arrays using metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy and detail their optical properties. A systematic growth study establishes the range of suitable growth parameters to obtain uniform NW growth over a large array. The optical properties of the NWs were characterized by room-temperature cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Tunability of the emission wavelength from 870 nm to approximately 800 nm was achieved. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray measurements performed on cross-section samples revealed a pure wurtzite crystal structure with very few stacking faults and a slight composition gradient along the NW growth axis.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Q. Gao for helping transfer the NWs from the arrays to Si substrates using a micro-manipulator. Dr. L. Li is acknowledged for preparing the cross-section samples. Drs. S. Naureen and F. Karouta are acknowledged for discussions on sample pre-processing steps. The Australian Research Council is acknowledged for financial support. This work has been made possible through the access to the ACT Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility and Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility. A. Berg gratefully acknowledges scholarships from NanoLund (the Center for Nanoscience at Lund University, Sweden) and the Linnaeus Graduate School at Lund University, as well as funding from the project “Energieffektiv LED-belysning baserad på nanotrådar” financed by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF, project number EM11-0015).

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  1. Xiaoming Yuan

    Present address: Hunan Key Laboratory for Super-Microstructure and Ultrafast Process, School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, 932 South Lushan Road, Changsha, 410083, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Solid State Physics and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 118, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden

    Alexander Berg & Magnus T. Borgström

  2. Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Philippe Caroff, Xiaoming Yuan, Hark Hoe Tan & Chennupati Jagadish

  3. Australian National Fabrication Facility, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Naeem Shahid & Mark N. Lockrey

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  1. Alexander Berg
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Berg, A., Caroff, P., Shahid, N. et al. Growth and optical properties of In x Ga1−x P nanowires synthesized by selective-area epitaxy. Nano Res. 10, 672–682 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-016-1325-1

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