Growth map for Ga-assisted growth of GaAs nanowires on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy.

For the Ga-assisted growth of GaAs nanowires on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy, growth temperature, As flux, and Ga flux have been systematically varied across the entire window of growth conditions that result in the formation of nanowires. A range of GaAs structures was observed, progressing from pure Ga droplets under negligible As flux through horizontal nanowires, tilted nanowires, vertical nanowires, and nanowires without droplets to crystallites as the As flux was increased. Quantitative analysis of the resulting sample morphology was performed in terms of nanowire number and volume density, number yield and volume yield of vertical nanowires, diameter, length, as well as the number and volume density of parasitic growth. The result is a growth map that comprehensively describes all nanowire and parasitic growth morphologies and hence enables growth of nanowire samples in a predictive manner. Further analysis indicates the combination of global Ga flux and growth temperature determines the total density of all objects, whereas the global As/Ga flux ratio independently determines the resultant sample morphology. Several dependencies observed here imply that all objects present on the substrate surface, i.e. both nanowires and parasitic structures, originate from Ga droplets.

Bismuth incorporation and the role of ordering in GaAsBi/GaAs structures.

The structure and composition of single GaAsBi/GaAs epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated by optical and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Firstly, the GaAsBi layers exhibit two distinct regions and a varying Bi composition profile in the growth direction. In the lower (25 nm) region, the Bi content decays exponentially from an initial maximum value, while the upper region comprises an almost constant Bi content until the end of the layer. Secondly, despite the relatively low Bi content, CuPtB-type ordering was observed both in electron diffraction patterns and in fast Fourier transform reconstructions from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The estimation of the long-range ordering parameter and the development of ordering maps by using geometrical phase algorithms indicate a direct connection between the solubility of Bi and the amount of ordering. The occurrence of both phase separation and atomic ordering has a significant effect on the optical properties of these layers. PACS: 78.55.Cr III-V semiconductors; 68.55.Nq composition and phase identification; 68.55.Ln defects and impurities: doping, implantation, distribution, concentration, etc; 64.75.St phase separation and segregation in.