Abstract
Nanowire growth in the standard < 111 > direction is assumed to occur at a planar catalyst-nanowire interface, but recent reports contradict this picture. Here we show that a nonplanar growth interface is, in fact, a general phenomenon. Both III-V and group IV nanowires show a distinct region at the trijunction with a different orientation whose size oscillates during growth, synchronized with step flow. We develop an explicit model for this structure that agrees well with experiment and shows that the oscillations provide a direct visualization of catalyst supersaturation. We discuss the implications for wire growth and structure.
Keywords
SILICON NANOWIRES; SOLID GROWTH; LEDGE-FLOW; MECHANISM; KINETICS
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.025503
Citation
Periodically Changing Morphology of the Growth Interface in Si, Ge, and GaP Nanowires C.-Y. Wen, J. Tersoff, K. Hillerich, M. C. Reuter, J. H. Park, S. Kodambaka, E. A. Stach, and F. M. Ross Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 025503 – Published 6 July 2011
Date of this Version
7-6-2011
Recommended Citation
Wen, C-Y; Tersoff, J.; Hillerich, K.; Reuter, M.C.; Park, J. H.; Kodambaka, S.; Stach, Eric; and Ross, F.M., "Periodically Changing Morphology of the Growth Interface in Si, Ge, and GaP Nanowires" (2011). Birck and NCN Publications. Paper 757.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.025503
Comments
This is the published version of C.-Y. Wen, J. Tersoff, K. Hillerich, M. C. Reuter, J. H. Park, S. Kodambaka, E. A. Stach, and F. M. Ross. (6 July 2011). Periodically Changing Morphology of the Growth Interface in Si, Ge, and GaP Nanowires. First published in the Physical Review Letters and is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.025503