Self-catalyzed growth of pure zinc blende 〈110〉 InP nanowires

摘要

We demonstrate the self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid growth of 〈110〉 InP nanowires (NWs) by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The 〈110〉 InP nanowire is formed via a spontaneous kinking from the original 〈110〉 growth direction, which is attributed to instabilities at the liquid/solid interface caused by a fast In incorporation into the droplet. The NW length before kinking has a nearly linear relationship with the diameter, offering a way to control the NW morphology for different applications. The 〈110〉 nanowire exhibits pure zinc blende crystal structure and a narrower emission line width in comparison with a typical 〈111〉 nanowire, demonstrating its potential applications in high-performance electronic and photonic devices.