Catalyst orientation-induced growth of defect-free zinc-blende structured ⟨001̅⟩ InAs nanowires

Nano Lett. 2015 Feb 11;15(2):876-82. doi: 10.1021/nl503556a. Epub 2015 Jan 15.

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of ⟨001̅⟩ defect-free zinc-blende structured InAs nanowires on GaAs {111}B substrate using Au catalysts in molecular beam epitaxy. It has been found that the catalysts and their underlying ⟨001̅⟩ nanowires have the orientation relationship of {11̅03}C//{002̅}InAs and [3̅302]C//[11̅0]InAs due to their small in-plane lattice mismatches between their corresponding lattice spacings perpendicular to the {001̅} atomic planes of the nanowires, leading to the formation of the {001̅} catalyst/nanowire interfaces, and consequently the formation of ⟨001̅⟩ nanowires. This study provides a practical approach to manipulate the crystal structure and structural quality of III-V nanowires through carefully controlling the crystal phase of the catalysts.

Keywords: Epitaxial growth; InAs nanowires; MBE; defect-free.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't