Vapor liquid solid-hydride vapor phase epitaxy (VLS-HVPE) growth of ultra-long defect-free GaAs nanowires: Ab initio simulations supporting center nucleation

Journal Article · Wed May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Chemical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4874875· OSTI ID:22304427

André, Yamina; Lekhal, Kaddour; Hoggan, Philip; Avit, Geoffrey; Réda Ramdani, M.; Monier, Guillaume; Colas, David; Ajib, Rabih; Castelluci, Dominique; Gil, Evelyne ^[1]; Cadiz, Fabian; Rowe, Alistair; Paget, Daniel ^[2]; Petit, Elodie ^[3]; Leroux, Christine ^[4]; Trassoudaine, Agnès ^[1]

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1. Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Institut Pascal, BP 10448, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand (France)
2. Physique de la matière condensée, Ecole Polytechnique CNRS, Palaiseau (France)
3. Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, BP 10448, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand (France)
4. Université de Toulon, IM2NP, Bât. R, B.P. 20132, 83957 La Garde Cedex (France)

High aspect ratio, rod-like and single crystal phase GaAs nanowires (NWs) were grown by gold catalyst-assisted hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). High resolution transmission electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed polytypism-free zinc blende (ZB) NWs over lengths of several tens of micrometers for a mean diameter of 50 nm. Micro-photoluminescence studies of individual NWs showed linewidths smaller than those reported elsewhere which is consistent with the crystalline quality of the NWs. HVPE makes use of chloride growth precursors GaCl of which high decomposition frequency after adsorption onto the liquid droplet catalysts, favors a direct and rapid introduction of the Ga atoms from the vapor phase into the droplets. High influxes of Ga and As species then yield high axial growth rate of more than 100 μm/h. The diffusion of the Ga atoms in the liquid droplet towards the interface between the liquid and the solid nanowire was investigated by using density functional theory calculations. The diffusion coefficient of Ga atoms was estimated to be 3 × 10{sup −9} m{sup 2}/s. The fast diffusion of Ga in the droplet favors nucleation at the liquid-solid line interface at the center of the NW. This is further evidence, provided by an alternative epitaxial method with respect to metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy and molecular beam epitaxy, of the current assumption which states that this type of nucleation should always lead to the formation of the ZB cubic phase.

• OSTI ID: 22304427
• Journal Information: Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 140, Issue 19; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-9606
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
ADSORPTION
CATALYSTS
DECOMPOSITION
DENSITY FUNCTIONAL METHOD
DROPLETS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
HYDRIDES
LIQUIDS
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
MONOCRYSTALS
ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
QUANTUM WIRES
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
SIMULATION
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY
VAPORS
ZINC SULFIDES