No Arabic abstract
It is well known that the crystalline structure of the III-V nanowires (NWs) is mainly controlled by the wetting contact angle of the catalyst droplet which can be tuned by the III and V flux. In this work we present a method to control the wurtzite (WZ) or zinc-blende (ZB) structure in self-catalyzed GaAs NWs grown by molecular beam epitaxy, using in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) diagram analysis. Since the diffraction patterns of the ZB and WZ structures differ according to the azimuth [1-10], it is possible to follow the evolution of the intensity of specific ZB and WZ diffraction spots during the NW growth as a function of the growth parameters such as the Ga flux. By analyzing the evolution of the WZ and ZB spot intensities during some NW growths with specific changes of Ga flux, it is then possible to control the crystal structure of the NWs. ZB GaAs NWs with a controlled WZ segment have thus been realized. Using a semi-empirical model for the NW growth and our in situ RHEED measurements, the critical wetting angle of the catalyst droplet for the structural transition is deduced.
We report observation of field emission from self-catalyzed GaAs nanowires grown on Si (111). The measurements are realized inside a scanning electron microscope chamber with nano-controlled tungsten tip functioning as anode. Experimental data are analyzed in the framework of Fowler-Nordheim theory. We demonstrate stable current up to 10$^{-7}$ A emitted from the tip of single nanowire, with field enhancement factor $beta$ up to 112 at anode-cathode distance d=350 nm. A linear dependence of $beta$ on the anode-cathode distance is experimentally found. We also show that the presence of a Ga catalyst droplet suppresses the emission of current from the nanowire tip. This allows detection of field emission from the nanowire sidewalls, which occurs with reduced field enhancement factor and stability. This study further extends the GaAs technology to vacuum electronics applications.
We realize growth of self-catalyzed core-shell GaAs/GaAsP nanowires (NWs) on Si substrates using molecular-beam epitaxy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of single GaAs/GaAsP NWs confirms their high crystal quality and shows domination of the zinc-blende phase. This is further confirmed in optics of single NWs, studied using cw and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL). A detailed comparison with uncapped GaAs NWs emphasizes the effect of the GaAsP capping in suppressing the non-radiative surface states: significant PL enhancement in the core-shell structures exceeding 2000 times at 10K is observed; in uncapped NWs PL is quenched at 60K whereas single core-shell GaAs/GaAsP NWs exhibit bright emission even at room temperature. From analysis of the PL temperature dependence in both types of NW we are able to determine the main carrier escape mechanisms leading to the PL quench.
The accurate control of the crystal phase in III-V semiconductor nanowires (NWs) is an important milestone for device applications. In this work, we present a method to select and maintain the wurtzite (WZ) crystal phase in self-assisted NWs. By choosing a specific regime where the NW growth process is a self-regulated system, the main experimental parameter to select the zinc-blende (ZB) or WZ phase is the V/III flux ratio. The latter can be monitored by changing the As flux, and drives the system toward a stationary regime when the wetting angle of the Ga droplet falls in a target interval, typically in the 90{deg} - 125{deg} range for the WZ phase growth. The analysis of the in situ RHEED evolution, high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HRSTEM), dark field transmission electron microscopy (DF-TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) data all confirm the control of an extended few micrometers long pure WZ segment obtained by MBE growth of self-assisted GaAs NWs with a V/III flux ratio of 4.0.
Defects are detrimental for optoelectronics devices, such as stacking faults can form carrier-transportation barriers, and foreign impurities (Au) with deep-energy levels can form carrier traps and non-radiative recombination centers. Here, we first developed self-catalyzed p-type GaAs nanowires (NWs) with pure zinc blende (ZB) structure, and then fabricated photodetector made by these NWs. Due to absence of stacking faults and suppression of large amount of defects with deep energy levels, the photodetector exhibits room-temperature high photo responsivity of 1.45 x 105 A W^-1 and excellent specific detectivity (D*) up to 1.48 x 10^14 Jones for low-intensity light signal of wavelength 632.8 nm, which outperforms previously reported NW-based photodetectors. These results demonstrate that these self-catalyzed pure-ZB GaAs NWs to be promising candidates for optoelectronics applications.
Using pulsed laser ablation with arsenic over pressure, the growth conditions for GaAs nanowires have been systematically investigated and optimized. Arsenic over pressure with As$_2$ molecules was introduced to the system by thermal decomposition of polycrystalline GaAs to control the stoichiometry and shape of the nanowires during growth. GaAs nanowires exhibit a variety of geometries under varying arsenic over pressure, which can be understood by different growth processes via vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. Single-crystal GaAs nanowires with uniform diameter, lengths over 20 $mu$m, and thin surface oxide layer were obtained and can potentially be used for further electronic characterization.