The growth process, crystal structure, and optical properties of ultrathin GaAs and InAs wires (whiskers) as thin as 15–40 nm and about 2 μm long are reviewed and discussed. Experimental results for growing whiskers using Au as a growth catalyst during metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and the shape and growth direction of whiskers provide new insight into growth control of GaAs and InAs whiskers. The crystal structure of whiskers, Au behavior during MOVPE, and their growth mechanism are reviewed and discussed on the basis of transmission electron microscopic analysis. The photoluminescence spectra of GaAs wires are compared with those of a GaAs epitaxial layer, and the effect of surface treatment on the luminescence peak energy shift is discussed. The time dependent photoluminescence of GaAs wires is also discussed. The application of GaAs whiskers to light emitting devices is reviewed because a semiconductor wire structure employing quantum size effects is a very important element of electronic and optical devices.

Ultrathin GaAs wires as thin as 15–40 nm and about 2 μm long have been grown on a GaAs substrate by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. The wires, which consist of whiskers, are grown between 380 and 550 °C using trimethylgallium and arsine (AsH3) as source materials. It is found that the wire growth direction is parallel to the [111] arsenic dangling-bond direction and can be perfectly controlled by the crystallographic orientation of the GaAs substrate surface. From transmission electron microscopic analysis it is revealed that the crystal structure of the wire coincides with the zinc-blende type for the growth temperature range of 460–500 °C, but it changes to the wurtzite type at 420 °C and temperatures higher than 500 °C. It is also found that the wires have a twin-type structure around the [111] growth axis for zinc blende and [0001] growth axis for wurtzite. Photoluminescence study of these wires shows that the luminescence peak energy shifts to a higher energy as the wire width decreases from 100 to about 35 nm. In terms of luminescence polarization it is confirmed that the luminescence intensity parallel to the wires is four times greater than that perpendicular to the wires. These results clearly indicate the quantum-size effect of carriers confined in the wire. As a preliminary application to devices, a p-n junction has been formed along the GaAs wire. Light emission by current injection to the p-n junction wires has been observed in continuous operation at room temperature.

Crystal structures of GaAs and InAs whiskers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy are evaluated by means of a transmission electron microscope. The whiskers are grown epitaxially on GaAs substrates with diameters of 20-100 nm and lengths of 1-5 µm. They have the following characteristics. 1) GaAs whiskers have layered structures with 2-30 nm period, that are the 111 rotating twins of the zinc-blende type. 2) InAs whiskers also have layered structures which consist of wurtzite and zinc-blende type crystals. The wurtzite type InAs is observed for the first time in this study. The volume ratio of these two types strongly depends on the growth conditions, such as substrate temperature and material gas pressure. This suggests that defect-free whiskers with a single phase that are useful for quantum wire devices can be grown by controlling the growth conditions.

This letter shows that selective heteroepitaxy of nanometer-scale InAs whiskers on SiO2-patterned GaAs substrates [Yazawa, Koguchi, and Hiruma, Appl. Phys. Lett. 58, 1080 (1991)] is induced by surface contamination with Au resulting from the fluorocarbon plasma etching process used to etch the SiO2 mask. We demonstrate that high densities (≂1010/cm2) of InAs nanowhiskers 20–30 nm in diameter can be epitaxially grown on InAs(111)B substrates onto which 1 monolayer of Au atoms had been deposited. This wirelike growth appears to be induced by ultrafine alloy droplets generated by the reactions between Au-clusters and InAs substrates.

We demonstrate heteroepitaxial ultrafine wire-like growth of InAs. Ultrafine InAs whiskers with diameters less than 20 nm are grown selectively on SiO2-patterned GaAs substrates using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. These InAs nanowhiskers grow epitaxially with a growth axis parallel to the 〈111〉As dangling bond direction of the GaAs substrate surface irrespective of substrate orientation.