Length measurement and spatial orientation reconstruction of single nanowires.

The accurate determination of the geometrical features of quasi one-dimensional nanostructures is mandatory for reducing errors and improving repeatability in the estimation of a number of geometry-dependent properties in nanotechnology. In this paper a method for the reconstruction of length and spatial orientation of single nanowires (NWs) is presented. Those quantities are calculated from a sequence of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images taken at different tilt angles using a simple 3D geometric model. The proposed method is evaluated on a collection of SEM images of single GaAs NWs. It is validated through the reconstruction of known geometric features of a standard reference calibration pattern. An overall uncertainty of about 1% in the estimated length of the NWs is achieved.

Axial InAs/GaAs heterostructures on silicon in a nanowire geometry.

InAs segments were grown on top of GaAs islands, initially created by droplet epitaxy on silicon substrate. We systematically explored the growth-parameter space for the deposition of InAs, identifying the conditions for the selective growth on GaAs and for purely axial growth. The axial InAs segments were formed with their sidewalls rotated by 30° compared to the GaAs base islands underneath. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments revealed that the InAs segments are grown relaxed on top of GaAs, with a predominantly zincblende crystal structure and stacking faults.

Ordered arrays of embedded Ga nanoparticles on patterned silicon substrates.

We fabricate site-controlled, ordered arrays of embedded Ga nanoparticles on Si, using a combination of substrate patterning and molecular-beam epitaxial growth. The fabrication process consists of two steps. Ga droplets are initially nucleated in an ordered array of inverted pyramidal pits, and then partially crystallized by exposure to an As flux, which promotes the formation of a GaAs shell that seals the Ga nanoparticle within two semiconductor layers. The nanoparticle formation process has been investigated through a combination of extensive chemical and structural characterization and theoretical kinetic Monte Carlo simulations.

Crystallization kinetics of Ga metallic nano-droplets under As flux.

We present an experimental investigation of the crystallization dynamics of Ga nano-droplets under As flux. The transformation of the metallic Ga contained in the droplets into a GaAs nano-island proceeds by increasing the size of a tiny ring of GaAs which is formed just after the Ga deposition at the rim of a droplet. The GaAs crystallization rate depends linearly on the liquid-solid interface area. The maximum growth rate is set by the As flux impinging on the droplet, thus showing an efficient As incorporation and transport despite the predicted low solubility of the As in metallic Ga at the crystallization temperatures.

Coupled quantum dot-ring structures by droplet epitaxy.

The fabrication, by pure self-assembly, of GaAs/AlGaAs dot-ring quantum nanostructures is presented. The growth is performed via droplet epitaxy, which allows for the fine control, through As flux and substrate temperature, of the crystallization kinetics of nanometer scale metallic Ga reservoirs deposited on the surface. Such a procedure permits the combination of quantum dots and quantum rings into a single, multi-functional, complex quantum nanostructure.

Self-assembled GaAs/AlGaAs coupled quantum ring-disk structures by droplet epitaxy.

The fabrication, by droplet epitaxy, of a class of quantum nanostructures characterized by a regular, nanometres high, flat disks with a diameter of hundreds of nanometres and a hole at the centre encircled by a ring a few nanometres high, is presented here. A detailed analysis of the growth kinetics performed via in situ and ex situ probes allows us to propose a working model for the formation of these structures.

Fabrication of multiple concentric nanoring structures.

We present the fabrication of GaAs/AlGaAs Multiple (from three to five) concentric nanoring structures by an innovative growth method based on droplet epitaxy and characterized by short time As supply to the Ga droplets at different substrate temperatures. The formation mechanism has been interpreted on the basis of a detailed ex situ and in situ characterization of nanostructure morphology and surface reconstruction. We introduce design criteria which will allow to obtain concentric quantum ring structures of the desired complexity.

Fast emission dynamics in droplet epitaxy GaAs ring-disk nanostructures integrated on Si.

The emission dynamics in GaAs/AlGaAs coupled ring-disk (CRD) quantum structures fabricated on silicon substrates is presented. The CRD structures are self-assembled via droplet epitaxy, a growth technique which, due to its low thermal budget, is compatible with the monolithic integration of III-V devices on Si based electronic circuits. Continuous wave, time resolved photoluminescence and theoretical calculations in the effective mass approximations are presented for the assessment of the electronic and carrier properties of the CRDs. The CRDs show a fast carrier dynamics which is expected to be suitable for ultrafast optical switching applications integrated on silicon.

Self-Assembled Local Artificial Substrates of GaAs on Si Substrate.

We propose a self-assembling procedure for the fabrication of GaAs islands by Droplet Epitaxy on silicon substrate. Controlling substrate temperature and amount of supplied gallium is possible to tune the base size of the islands from 70 up to 250 nm and the density from 10(7) to 10(9) cm(-2). The islands show a standard deviation of base size distribution below 10% and their shape evolves changing the aspect ratio from 0.3 to 0.5 as size increases. Due to their characteristics, these islands are suitable to be used as local artificial substrates for the integration of III-V quantum nanostructures directly on silicon substrate.

Growth Interruption Effect on the Fabrication of GaAs Concentric Multiple Rings by Droplet Epitaxy.

WE PRESENT THE MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY FABRICATION AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPLEX GAAS NANOSTRUCTURES BY DROPLET EPITAXY: concentric triple quantum rings. A significant difference was found between the volumes of the original droplets and the final GaAs structures. By means of atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy, we found that a thin GaAs quantum well-like layer is developed all over the substrate during the growth interruption times, caused by the migration of Ga in a low As background.

Concentric Multiple Rings by Droplet Epitaxy: Fabrication and Study of the Morphological Anisotropy.

We present the Molecular Beam Epitaxy fabrication of complex GaAs/AlGaAs nanostructures by Droplet Epitaxy, characterized by the presence of concentric multiple rings. We propose an innovative experimental procedure that allows the fabrication of individual portions of the structure, controlling their diameter by only changing the substrate temperature. The obtained nanocrystals show a significant anisotropy between [110] and [1-10] crystallographic directions, which can be ascribed to different activation energies for the Ga atoms migration processes.

Photoluminescence Study of Low Thermal Budget III-V Nanostructures on Silicon by Droplet Epitaxy.

We present of a detailed photoluminescence characterization of high efficiency GaAs/AlGaAs quantum nanostructures grown on silicon substrates. The whole process of formation of the GaAs/AlGaAs active layer was realized via droplet epitaxy and migration enhanced epitaxy maintaining the growth temperature ≤350°C, thus resulting in a low thermal budget procedure compatible with back-end integration of the fabricated materials on integrated circuits.