1 research outputs found
Impact of the Ga Droplet Wetting, Morphology, and Pinholes on the Orientation of GaAs Nanowires
Ga-catalyzed
growth of GaAs nanowires on Si is a candidate process
for achieving seamless III/V integration on IV. In this framework,
the nature of silicon’s surface oxide is known to have a strong
influence on nanowire growth and orientation and therefore important
for GaAs nanowire technologies. We show that the chemistry and morphology
of the silicon oxide film controls liquid Ga nucleation position and
shape; these determine GaAs nanowire growth morphology. We calculate
the energies of formation of Ga droplets as a function of their volume
and the oxide composition in several nucleation configurations. The
lowest energy Ga droplet shapes are then correlated to the orientation
of nanowires with respect to the substrate. This work provides the
understanding and the tools to control nanowire morphology in self-assembly
and pattern growth