Chris M. Haapamaki

Photoluminescence model of sulfur passivated p-InP nanowires

The effect of ammonium polysulfide solution, (NH₄)₂S(x), on the surface passivation of p-doped InP nanowires (NWs) was investigated by micro-photoluminescence. An improvement in photoluminescence (PL) intensity from individual NWs upon passivation was used to optimize the passivation procedure using different solvents, sulfur concentrations and durations of passivation. The optimized passivation procedure gave an average of 24 times improvement in peak PL intensity. A numerical model is presented to explain the PL improvement upon passivation in terms of a reduction in surface trap density by two orders of magnitude from 10¹² to 10¹⁰ cm⁻², corresponding to a change in surface recombination velocity from 10⁶ to 10⁴ cm s⁻¹. The diameter dependence of the PL intensity is investigated and explained by the model. The PL intensity from passivated nanowires decreased to its initial (pre-passivation) value over a period of seven days in ambient air, indicating that the S passivation was unstable.

Temperature-dependent electron mobility in InAs nanowires

Effective electron mobilities are obtained by transport measurements on InAs nanowire field-effect transistors at temperatures ranging from 10 to 200 K. The mobility increases with temperatures below ∼30-50 K, and then decreases with temperatures above 50 K, consistent with other reports. The magnitude and temperature dependence of the observed mobility can be explained by Coulomb scattering from ionized surface states at typical densities. The behaviour above 50 K is ascribed to the thermally activated increase in the number of scatterers, although nanoscale confinement also plays a role as higher radial subbands are populated, leading to interband scattering and a shift of the carrier distribution closer to the surface. Scattering rate calculations using finite-element simulations of the nanowire transistor confirm that these mechanisms are able to explain the data.

Facilitating growth of InAs–InP core–shell nanowires through the introduction of Al

InAs nanowires were grown on GaAs substrates by the Au-assis ted vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) method in a gas source molecu lar beam epitaxy (GS-MBE) system. Passivation of the InAs nanow ires using InP shells proved di fficult due to the tendency for the formation of axial rather than core-shell structures. T o circumvent this issue, Al xIn1−xAs or AlxIn1−xP shells with nominal Al composition fraction of x= 0.20, 0.36, or 0.53 were grown by direct vapour-solid deposi tion on the sidewalls of the InAs nanowires. Characterization by transmission electron microscopy rev ealed that the addition of Al in the shell resulted in a remark able transition from the VLS to the vapour-solid growth mode with uniform she ll thickness along the nanowire length. Possible mechanism s for this transition include reduced adatom di ffusion, a phase change of the Au seed particle and surfactant e ffec s. The InAs-AlInP core-shell nanowires exhibited misfit dislocations, while th InAs-AlInAs nanowires with lower strain appeared to be f re of defects.

Mechanisms of molecular beam epitaxy growth in InAs/InP nanowire heterostructures

InAs/InP axial nanowire heterostructures were grown by the Au-assisted vapour-liquid-solid method in a gas source molecular beam epitaxy system. The nanowire crystal structure and morphology were investigated by transmission electron microscopy for various growth conditions (temperature, growth rate, V/III flux ratio). Growth mechanisms were inferred from the InAs and InP segment lengths as a function of the nanowire diameter. Short InAs segment lengths were found to grow by depletion of In from the Au particle as well as by direct impingement, while longer segments of InAs and InP grew by diffusive transport of adatoms from the nanowire sidewalls. The present study offers a way to control the lengths of InAs quantum dots embedded in InP barriers.

Electron transport in InAs-InAlAs core-shell nanowires

Evidence is given for the effectiveness of InAs surface passivation by the growth of an epitaxial In0.8Al0.2As shell. The electron mobility is measured as a function of temperature for both core-shell and unpassivated nanowires, with the core-shell nanowires showing a monotonic increase in mobility as temperature is lowered, in contrast to a turnover in mobility seen for the unpassivated nanowires. We argue that this signifies a reduction in low temperature ionized impurity scattering for the passivated nanowires, implying a reduction in surface states.

Trapped charge dynamics in InAs nanowires

We study random telegraph noise in the conductance of InAs nanowire field-effect transistors due to single electron trapping in defects. The electron capture and emission times are measured as functions of temperature and gate voltage for individual traps, and are consistent with traps residing in the few-nanometer-thick native oxide, with a Coulomb barrier to trapping. These results suggest that oxide removal from the nanowire surface, with proper passivation to prevent regrowth, should lead to the reduction or elimination of random telegraph noise, an important obstacle for sensitive experiments at the single electron level.

Magnetoconductance signatures of subband structure in semiconductor nanowires

The radial confining potential in a semiconductor nanowire plays a key role in determining its quantum transport properties. Previous reports have shown that an axial magnetic field induces flux-periodic conductance oscillations when the electronic states are confined to a shell. This effect is due to the coupling of orbital angular momentum to the magnetic flux. Here, we perform calculations of the energy level structure, and consequently the conductance, for more general cases ranging from a flat potential to strong surface band bending. The transverse states are not confined to a shell, but are distributed across the nanowire. It is found that, in general, the subband energy spectrum is aperiodic as a function of both gate voltage and magnetic field. In principle, this allows for precise identification of the occupied subbands from the magnetoconductance patterns of quasi-ballistic devices. The aperiodicity becomes more apparent as the potential flattens. A quantitative method is introduced for matching features in the conductance data to the subband structure resulting from a particular radial potential, where a functional form for the potential is used that depends on two free parameters. Finally, a short-channel InAs nanowire FET device is measured at low temperature in search of conductance features that reveal the subband structure. Features are identified and shown to be consistent with three specific subbands. The experiment is analyzed in the context of the weak localization regime, however, we find that the subband effects predicted for ballistic transport should remain visible when back scattering dominates over interband scattering, as is expected for this device.

Sensitive magnetic force detection with a carbon nanotube resonator

We propose a technique for sensitive magnetic point force detection using a suspended carbon nanotube (CNT) mechanical resonator combined with a magnetic field gradient generated by a ferromagnetic gate electrode. Numerical calculations of the mechanical resonance frequency show that single Bohr magneton changes in the magnetic state of an individual magnetic molecule grafted to the CNT can translate to detectable frequency shifts, on the order of a few kHz. The dependences of the resonator response to device parameters such as length, tension, CNT diameter, and gate voltage are explored and optimal operating conditions are identified. A signal-to-noise analysis shows that, in principle, magnetic switching at the level of a single Bohr magneton can be read out in a single shot on timescales as short as 10 μs. This force sensor should enable new studies of spin dynamics in isolated single molecule magnets, free from the crystalline or ensemble settings typically studied.

(Invited) Passivation of III-V Nanowires for Optoelectronics

Surface passivation of III-V compound semiconductor nanowires is presented. InAs and GaAs nanowire cores were grown using gas source molecular beam epitaxy followed by a passivating shell of InAl(As,P). Improvements in electrical and optical (luminescence) properties of the nanowires were observed upon passivation due to removal of detrimental surface states. Passivation of InP nanowires by polysulfide solution is also demonstrated to improve luminescence.