Droplet epitaxy quantum dot based infrared photodetectors.

The fabrication and characterization of an infrared photodetector based on GaAs droplet epitaxy quantum dots embedded in Al0.3Ga0.7As barrier is reported. The high control over dot electronic properties and the high achievable number density allowed by droplet epitaxy technique permitted us to realize a device using a single dot layer in the active region. Moreover, thanks to the independent control over dot height and width, we were able to obtain a very sharp absorption peak in the thermal infrared region (3-8 µm). Low temperature photocurrent spectrum was measured by Fourier spectroscopy, showing a narrow peak at 198 meV (∼6.3 µm) with a full width at half maximum of 25 meV. The observed absorption is in agreement with theoretical prediction based on effective mass approximation of the dot electronic transition.

Ga crystallization dynamics during annealing of self-assisted GaAs nanowires.

In As atmosphere, we analyzed the crystallization dynamics during post-growth annealing of Ga droplets residing at the top of self-assisted GaAs nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The final crystallization steps, fundamental to determining the top facet nanowire morphology, proceeded via a balance of Ga crystallization via vapor-liquid-solid and layer-by-layer growth around the droplet, promoted by Ga diffusion out of the droplet perimeter, As desorption, and diffusion dynamics. By controlling As flux and substrate temperature the transformation of Ga droplets into nanowire segments with a top surface flat and parallel to the substrate was achieved, thus opening the possibility to realize atomically sharp vertical heterostructures in III-As self-assisted nanowires through group III exchange.

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.

InAs/GaAs Sharply Defined Axial Heterostructures in Self-Assisted Nanowires.

We present the fabrication of axial InAs/GaAs nanowire heterostructures on silicon with atomically sharp interfaces by molecular beam epitaxy. Our method exploits the crystallization at low temperature, by As supply, of In droplets deposited on the top of GaAs NWs grown by the self-assisted (self-catalyzed) mode. Extensive characterization based on transmission electron microscopy sets an upper limit for the InAs/GaAs interface thickness within few bilayers (≤1.5 nm). A detailed study of elastic/plastic strain relaxation at the interface is also presented, highlighting the role of nanowire lateral free surfaces.

Polytypism in GaAs nanowires: determination of the interplanar spacing of wurtzite GaAs by X-ray diffraction.

In GaAs nanowires grown along the cubic [111]c direction, zinc blende and wurtzite arrangements have been observed in their stacking sequence, since the energetic barriers for nucleation are typically of similar order of magnitude. It is known that the interplanar spacing of the (111)c Ga (or As) planes in the zinc blende polytype varies slightly from the wurtzite polytype. However, different values have been reported in the literature. Here, the ratio of the interplanar spacing of these polytypes is extracted based on X-ray diffraction measurements for thin GaAs nanowires with a mean diameter of 18-25 nm. The measurements are performed with a nano-focused beam which facilitates the separation of the scattering of nanowires and of parasitic growth. The interplanar spacing of the (111)c Ga (or As) planes in the wurtzite arrangement in GaAs nanowires is observed to be 0.66% ± 0.02% larger than in the zinc blende arrangement.

Evolution of polytypism in GaAs nanowires during growth revealed by time-resolved in situ x-ray diffraction.

In III-V nanowires the energetic barriers for nucleation in the zinc blende or wurtzite arrangement are typically of a similar order of magnitude. As a result, both arrangements can occur in a single wire. Here, we investigate the evolution of this polytypism in self-catalyzed GaAs nanowires on Si(111) grown by molecular beam epitaxy with time-resolved in situ x-ray diffraction. We interpret our data in the framework of a height dependent Markov model for the stacking in the nanowires. In this way, we extract the mean sizes of faultless wurtzite and zinc blende segments-a key parameter of polytypic nanowires-and their temporal evolution during growth. Thereby, we infer quantitative information on the differences of the nucleation barriers including their evolution without requiring a model of the nucleus.

Control over the number density and diameter of GaAs nanowires on Si(111) mediated by droplet epitaxy.

We present a novel approach for the growth of GaAs nanowires (NWs) with controllable number density and diameter, which consists of the combination between droplet epitaxy (DE) and self-assisted NW growth. In our method, GaAs islands are initially formed on Si(111) by DE and, subsequently, GaAs NWs are selectively grown on their top facet, which acts as a nucleation site. By DE, we can successfully tailor the number density and diameter of the template of initial GaAs islands and the same degree of control is transferred to the final GaAs NWs. We show how, by a suitable choice of V/III flux ratio, a single NW can be accommodated on top of each GaAs base island. By transmission electron microscopy, as well as cathodo- and photoluminescence spectroscopy, we confirmed the high structural and optical quality of GaAs NWs grown by our method. We believe that this combined approach can be more generally applied to the fabrication of different homo- or heteroepitaxial NWs, nucleated on the top of predefined islands obtained by DE.

Micro-photoluminescence of GaAs/AlGaAs triple concentric quantum rings.

A systematic optical study, including micro, ensemble and time resolved photoluminescence of GaAs/AlGaAs triple concentric quantum rings, self-assembled via droplet epitaxy, is presented. Clear emission from localized states belonging to the ring structures is reported. The triple rings show a fast decay dynamics, around 40 ps, which is expected to be useful for ultrafast optical switching applications.