Modeling selective-area growth of InAsSb nanowires

An Overview of Modeling Approaches for Compositional Control in III-V Ternary Nanowires

Modeling of the growth process is required for the synthesis of III-V ternary nanowires with controllable composition. Consequently, new theoretical approaches for the description of epitaxial growth and the related chemical composition of III-V ternary nanowires based on group III or group V intermix were recently developed. In this review, we present and discuss existing modeling strategies for the stationary compositions of III-V ternary nanowires and try to systematize and link them in a general perspective. In particular, we divide the existing approaches into models that focus on the liquid-solid incorporation mechanisms in vapor-liquid-solid nanowires (equilibrium, nucleation-limited, and kinetic models treating the growth of solid from liquid) and models that provide the vapor-solid distributions (empirical, transport-limited, reaction-limited, and kinetic models treating the growth of solid from vapor). We describe the basic ideas underlying the existing models and analyze the similarities and differences between them, as well as the limitations and key factors influencing the stationary compositions of III-V nanowires versus the growth method. Overall, this review provides a basis for choosing a modeling approach that is most appropriate for a particular material system and epitaxy technique and that underlines the achieved level of the compositional modeling of III-V ternary nanowires and the remaining gaps that require further studies.

Modeling Catalyst-Free Growth of III-V Nanowires: Empirical and Rigorous Approaches

Catalyst-free growth of III-V and III-nitride nanowires (NWs) by the self-induced nucleation mechanism or selective area growth (SAG) on different substrates, including Si, show great promise for monolithic integration of III-V optoelectronics with Si electronic platform. The morphological design of NW ensembles requires advanced growth modeling, which is much less developed for catalyst-free NWs compared to vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) NWs of the same materials. Herein, we present an empirical approach for modeling simultaneous axial and radial growths of untapered catalyst-free III-V NWs and compare it to the rigorous approach based on the stationary diffusion equations for different populations of group III adatoms. We study in detail the step flow occurring simultaneously on the NW sidewalls and top and derive the general laws governing the evolution of NW length and radius versus the growth parameters. The rigorous approach is reduced to the empirical equations in particular cases. A good correlation of the model with the data on the growth kinetics of SAG GaAs NWs and self-induced GaN NWs obtained by different epitaxy techniques is demonstrated. Overall, the developed theory provides a basis for the growth modeling of catalyst-free NWs and can be further extended to more complex NW morphologies.

Growth dynamics and compositional structure in periodic InAsSb nanowire arrays on Si (111) grown by selective area molecular beam epitaxy

We report a comprehensive study of the growth dynamics in highly periodic, composition tunable InAsSb nanowire (NW) arrays using catalyst-free selective area molecular beam epitaxy. Employing periodically patterned SiO₂-masks on Si (111) with various mask opening sizes (20-150 nm) and pitches (0.25-2 μm), high NW yield of >90% (irrespective of the InAsSb alloy composition) is realized by the creation of an As-terminated 1 × 1-Si(111) surface prior to NW nucleation. While the NW aspect ratio decreases continually with increasing Sb content (x _Sb from 0% to 30%), we find a remarkable dependence of the aspect ratio on the mask opening size yielding up to ∼8-fold increase for openings decreasing from 150 to 20 nm. The effects of the interwire separation (pitch) on the NW aspect ratio are strongest for pure InAs NWs and gradually vanish for increasing Sb content, suggesting that growth of InAsSb NW arrays is governed by an In surface diffusion limited regime even for the smallest investigated pitches. Compositional analysis using high-resolution x-ray diffraction reveals a substantial impact of the pitch on the alloy composition in homogeneous InAsSb NW arrays, leading to much larger x _Sb as the pitch increases due to decreasing competition for Sb adatoms. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and associated energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy performed on the cross-sections of individual NWs reveal an interesting growth-axis dependent core-shell like structure with a discontinuous few-nm thick Sb-deficient coaxial boundary layer and six Sb-deficient corner bands. Further analysis evidences the presence of a nanoscale facet at the truncation of the (111)B growth front and {1-10} sidewall surfaces that is found responsible for the formation of the characteristic core-shell structure.

Study of patterned GaAsSbN nanowires using sigmoidal model

This study presents the first report on patterned nanowires (NWs) of dilute nitride GaAsSbN on p-Si (111) substrates by self-catalyzed plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Patterned NW array with GaAsSbN of Sb composition of 3% as a stem provided the best yield of vertical NWs. Large bandgap tuning of ~ 75 meV, as ascertained from 4 K photoluminescence (PL), over a pitch length variation of 200-1200 nm has been demonstrated. Pitch-dependent axial and radial growth rates show a logistic sigmoidal growth trend different from those commonly observed in other patterned non-nitride III-V NWs. The sigmoidal fitting provides further insight into the PL spectral shift arising from differences in Sb and N incorporation from pitch induced variation in secondary fluxes. Results indicate that sigmoidal fitting can be a potent tool for designing patterned NW arrays of optimal pitch length for dilute nitrides and other highly mismatched alloys and heterostructures.

Growth of Self-Catalyzed InAs/InSb Axial Heterostructured Nanowires: Experiment and Theory

The growth mechanisms of self-catalyzed InAs/InSb axial nanowire heterostructures are thoroughly investigated as a function of the In and Sb line pressures and growth time. Some interesting phenomena are observed and analyzed. In particular, the presence of In droplet on top of InSb segment is shown to be essential for forming axial heterostructures in the self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid mode. Axial versus radial growth rates of InSb segment are investigated under different growth conditions and described within a dedicated model containing no free parameters. It is shown that widening of InSb segment with respect to InAs stem is controlled by the vapor-solid growth on the nanowire sidewalls rather than by the droplet swelling. The In droplet can even shrink smaller than the nanowire facet under Sb-rich conditions. These results shed more light on the growth mechanisms of self-catalyzed heterostructures and give clear route for engineering the morphology of InAs/InSb axial nanowire heterostructures for different applications.

Evolution of the Length and Radius of Catalyst-Free III-V Nanowires Grown by Selective Area Epitaxy

We present a new model for the length and radius evolution of catalyst-free III-V nanowires grown by selective area epitaxy. We consider simultaneous axial and radial growth of nanowires, which is more typical for this technique compared to the vapor-liquid-solid growth of nanowires. Analytic expressions for the time evolution of the nanowire length and radius are derived, showing the following properties. As long as the nanowire length is shorter than the collection length of group III atoms on the sidewalls, the length evolves superlinearly and the radius evolves linearly with time. For longer nanowires, both the length and radius increase sublinearly with time. The scaling growth laws are controlled by a single parameter that depends on group V flux. The model fits well the data on the selective area growth of InAs and GaAs nanowires by different techniques. Overall, these results can be used for controlling the catalyst-free growth of III-V nanowires and their morphology, including ternary III-V material systems.