Francesca Amaduzzi

Modulation doping of GaAs/AlGaAs core-shell nanowires with effective defect passivation and high electron mobility.

Reliable doping is required to realize many devices based on semiconductor nanowires. Group III-V nanowires show great promise as elements of high-speed optoelectronic devices, but for such applications it is important that the electron mobility is not compromised by the inclusion of dopants. Here we show that GaAs nanowires can be n-type doped with negligible loss of electron mobility. Molecular beam epitaxy was used to fabricate modulation-doped GaAs nanowires with Al0.33Ga0.67As shells that contained a layer of Si dopants. We identify the presence of the doped layer from a high-angle annular dark field scanning electron microscopy cross-section image. The doping density, carrier mobility, and charge carrier lifetimes of these n-type nanowires and nominally undoped reference samples were determined using the noncontact method of optical pump terahertz probe spectroscopy. An n-type extrinsic carrier concentration of 1.10 ± 0.06 × 10(16) cm(-3) was extracted, demonstrating the effectiveness of modulation doping in GaAs nanowires. The room-temperature electron mobility was also found to be high at 2200 ± 300 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and importantly minimal degradation was observed compared with undoped reference nanowires at similar electron densities. In addition, modulation doping significantly enhanced the room-temperature photoconductivity and photoluminescence lifetimes to 3.9 ± 0.3 and 2.4 ± 0.1 ns respectively, revealing that modulation doping can passivate interfacial trap states.

From Twinning to Pure Zincblende Catalyst-Free InAs(Sb) Nanowires

III-V nanowires are candidate building blocks for next generation electronic and optoelectronic platforms. Low bandgap semiconductors such as InAs and InSb are interesting because of their high electron mobility. Fine control of the structure, morphology, and composition are key to the control of their physical properties. In this work, we present how to grow catalyst-free InAs1-xSbx nanowires, which are stacking fault and twin defect-free over several hundreds of nanometers. We evaluate the impact of their crystal phase purity by probing their electrical properties in a transistor-like configuration and by measuring the phonon-plasmon interaction by Raman spectroscopy. We also highlight the importance of high-quality dielectric coating for the reduction of hysteresis in the electrical characteristics of the nanowire transistors. High channel carrier mobilities and reduced hysteresis open the path for high-frequency devices fabricated using InAs1-xSbx nanowires.

Morphology and composition of oxidized InAs nanowires studied by combined Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy

Any device exposed to ambient conditions will be prone to oxidation. This may be of particular importance for semiconductor nanowires because of the high surface-to-volume ratio and only little is known about the consequences of oxidation for these systems. Here, we study the properties of indium arsenide nanowires which were locally oxidized using a focused laser beam. Polarization dependent micro-Raman measurements confirmed the presence of crystalline arsenic, and transmission electron microscopy diffraction showed the presence of indium oxide. The surface dependence of the oxidation was investigated in branched nanowires grown along the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] wurtzite crystal directions exhibiting different surface facets. The oxidation did not occur at the [Formula: see text] direction. The origin of this selectivity is discussed in terms transition state kinetics of the free surfaces of the different crystal families of the facets and numerical simulations of the laser induced heating.

Polarization response of nanowires a la carte

Thanks to their special interaction with light, semiconductor nanowires have opened new avenues in photonics, quantum optics and solar energy harvesting. One of the major challenges for their full technological deployment has been their strong polarization dependence in light absorption and emission. In the past, metal nanostructures have been shown to have the ability to modify and enhance the light response of nanoscale objects. Here we demonstrate that a hybrid structure formed by GaAs nanowires with a highly dense array of bow-tie antennas is able to modify the polarization response of a nanowire. As a result, the increase in light absorption for transverse polarized light changes the nanowire polarization response, including the polarization response inversion. This work will open a new path towards the widespread implementation of nanowires applications such as in photodetection, solar energy harvesting and light emission.

Probing inhomogeneous composition in core/shell nanowires by Raman spectroscopy

Due to its non-destructive and its micro-spatial resolution, Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for a rapid structural and compositional characterization of nanoscale materials. Here, by combining the compositional dependence of the Raman peaks with the existence of photonic modes in the nanowires, we address the composition inhomogeneities of Al x Ga1− x As/GaAs core/shell structures. The experimental results are validated with complementary chemical composition maps of the nanowire cross-sections and finite-difference time-domain simulations of the photonic modes.

Revealing Large-Scale Homogeneity and Trace Impurity Sensitivity of GaAs Nanoscale Membranes

III-V nanostructures have the potential to revolutionize optoelectronics and energy harvesting. For this to become a reality, critical issues such as reproducibility and sensitivity to defects should be resolved. By discussing the optical properties of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) grown GaAs nanomembranes we highlight several features that bring them closer to large scale applications. Uncapped membranes exhibit a very high optical quality, expressed by extremely narrow neutral exciton emission, allowing the resolution of the more complex excitonic structure for the first time. Capping of the membranes with an AlGaAs shell results in a strong increase of emission intensity but also in a shift and broadening of the exciton peak. This is attributed to the existence of impurities in the shell, beyond MBE-grade quality, showing the high sensitivity of these structures to the presence of impurities. Finally, emission properties are identical at the submicron and submillimeter scale, demonstrating the potential of these structures for large scale applications.

High Electron Mobility and Insights into Temperature-Dependent Scattering Mechanisms in InAsSb Nanowires

InAsSb nanowires are promising elements for thermoelectric devices, infrared photodetectors, high-speed transistors, as well as thermophotovoltaic cells. By changing the Sb alloy fraction the mid-infrared bandgap energy and thermal conductivity may be tuned for specific device applications. Using both terahertz and Raman noncontact probes, we show that Sb alloying increases the electron mobility in the nanowires by over a factor of 3 from InAs to InAs0.65Sb0.35. We also extract the temperature-dependent electron mobility via both terahertz and Raman spectroscopy, and we report the highest electron mobilities for InAs0.65Sb0.35 nanowires to date, exceeding 16,000 cm2 V-1 s-1 at 10 K.

Tuning the response of non-allowed Raman modes in GaAs nanowires

We report on the use of photonic resonances in Raman spectroscopy on single nanowires for the enhancement of forbidden modes and the study of the interaction of phonons with free-carriers. This is achieved by suspending nanowire over a trench and detecting Raman scattered light with light polarized along the radial direction. Thanks to the photonic nature of the light-nanowire interaction, light polarization inside the nanowire is modified. This results in the excitation of LO modes, forbidden on {1 1 0} surfaces. We apply this new configuration to the measurement of carrier concentration on doped GaAs nanowires. These results open new perspectives for the study of the interaction of free-carriers or plasmons with optical phonons in nanostructures.