Semiconductors made of earth-abundant elements, such as zinc phosphide, have the potential to substitute less abundant, highly functional compound semiconductors such as InAs or InP.
III–V integration
on Si(100) is a challenge: controlled
vertical vapor liquid solid nanowire growth on this platform has not
been reported so far. Here we demonstrate an atypical GaAs vertical
nanostructure on Si(100), coined nanospade, obtained by a nonconventional
droplet catalyst pinning. The Ga droplet is positioned at the tip
of an ultrathin Si pillar with a radial oxide envelope. The pinning
at the Si/oxide interface allows the engineering of the contact angle
beyond the Young–Dupré equation and the growth of vertical
nanospades. Nanospades exhibit a virtually defect-free bicrystalline
nature. Our growth model explains how a pentagonal twinning event
at the initial stages of growth provokes the formation of the nanospade.
The optical properties of the nanospades are consistent with the high
crystal purity, making these structures viable for use in integration
of optoelectronics on the Si(100) platform.
Zinc phosphide forms heterotwin superlattices through the inclusion of indium rich layers at the twins. Here we investigate their structure, influence on the optoelectronic properties, and how its non-polar nature impacts the formation mechanism.
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