Direct correlation of crystal structure and optical properties in wurtzite/zinc-blende GaAs nanowire heterostructures

A novel method for the direct correlation at the nanoscale of structural and optical properties of single GaAs nanowires is reported. Nanowires consisting of 100% wurtzite and nanowires presenting zinc-blende/wurtzite polytypism are investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The photoluminescence of wurtzite GaAs is consistent with a band gap of 1.5 eV. In the polytypic nanowires, it is shown that the regions that are predominantly composed of either zinc-blende or wurtzite phase show photoluminescence emission close to the bulk GaAs band gap, while regions composed of a nonperiodic superlattice of wurtzite and zinc-blende phases exhibit a redshift of the photoluminescence spectra as low as 1.455 eV. The dimensions of the quantum heterostructures are correlated with the light emission, allowing us to determine the band alignment between these two crystalline phases. Our first-principles electronic structure calculations within density functional theory, employing a hybrid-exchange functional, predict band offsets and effective masses in good agreement with experimental results

Single-crystalline hexagonal silicon-germanium

Group IV materials with the hexagonaldiamond crystal structure have been predicted to exhibit promising optical and electronic properties. In particular,\u3cbr/\u3ehexagonal silicon−germanium (Si1−xGex) should be characterized by a tunable direct band gap with implications ranging from Si-based light-emitting diodes to lasers and quantum dots for single photon emitters. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of high-quality defect-free and wafer-scale hexagonal Si1−xGex growth with precise control of the alloy composition and layer thickness. This is achieved by transferring the hexagonal phase from a GaP/Si core/shell nanowire template, the same method successfully employed by us to realize hexagonal Si. We determine the optimal growth conditions in order to achieve single-crystalline layer-by-layer Si1−xGex growth in the preferred stoichiometry region. Our results pave the way for exploiting the novel properties of hexagonal Si1−xGex alloys in technological applications

Cracking the Si shell growth in hexagonal GaP-Si core-shell nanowires

\u3cp\u3eSemiconductor nanowires have increased the palette of possible heterostructures thanks to their more effective strain relaxation. Among these, core-shell heterostructures are much more sensitive to strain than axial ones. It is now accepted that the formation of misfit dislocations depends both on the lattice mismatch and relative dimensions of the core and the shell. Here, we show for the first time the existence of a new kind of defect in core-shell nanowires: cracks. These defects do not originate from a lattice mismatch (we demonstrate their appearance in an essentially zero-mismatch system) but from the thermal history during the growth of the nanowires. Crack defects lead to the development of secondary defects, such as type-I\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3e stacking faults and Frank-type dislocations. These results provide crucial information with important implications for the optimized synthesis of nanowire-based core-shell heterostructures.\u3c/p\u3

New opportunities with nanowires

Summary form only given. Light emission from Si, would allow integration of electronic and optical functionality in the main electronics platform technology, but this has been impossible due to the indirect band gap of Si. This talk will discuss 2 different approaches, using unique properties of nanowires, to realize light emission from Si-based compounds. In the first route, the paper focuses on the fabrication of defect-free GeSn compounds. The growth mechanism is discussed, the structural properties are investigated by electron microscopy and atom probe tomography and the temperature dependent optical properties are studied. The second route concentrates on Si and Ge with a different crystal structure. Here, crystal structure transfer is employed, in which wurtzite GaP is used as a template to epitaxially grow SiGe compounds with the hexagonal crystal structure. With this method, defect free hexagonal SiGe shells and branches with tunable Ge concentration are gorwn. The structural and optical properties of these new crystal phases will be discussed. The author believes that these new 3-dimensional epitaxial nanostructures have great potential to integrate optical functionality in Si technology

Impurity and defect monitoring in hexagonal Si and SiGe nanocrystals

Silicon-Germanium in a hexagonal crystal-structure is a candidate material for a direct band-gap group IV semiconductor that can be integrated into the CMOS process. It has recently been synthesized as a crystalline shell grown epitaxial around a nanowire core of hexagonal Gallium-Phosphide. In order to study the optical properties of this newly generated material and evaluate its potential for building optical devices it is necessary to grow defect and impurity free hexagonal Silicon-Germanium. Impurity detection and mapping in nano-structures is however challenging as most bulk and thin film characterization methods cannot be used. Here we show that Atom Probe Tomography can be used to map the impurities in hexagonal shells of Silicon-Germanium and Silicon. This will allow to optimize growth of hexagonal Silicon-Germanium nanocrystals towards impurity free, optically active crystals

Boosting hole mobility in coherently strained [110]-oriented Ge-Si core-shell nanowires

\u3cp\u3eThe ability of core-shell nanowires to overcome existing limitations of heterostructures is one of the key ingredients for the design of next generation devices. This requires a detailed understanding of the mechanism for strain relaxation in these systems in order to eliminate strain-induced defect formation and thus to boost important electronic properties such as carrier mobility. Here we demonstrate how the hole mobility of [110]-oriented Ge-Si core-shell nanowires can be substantially enhanced thanks to the realization of large band offset and coherent strain in the system, reaching values as high as 4200 cm\u3csup\u3e2\u3c/sup\u3e/(Vs) at 4 K and 1600 cm\u3csup\u3e2\u3c/sup\u3e/(Vs) at room temperature for high hole densities of 10\u3csup\u3e19\u3c/sup\u3e cm\u3csup\u3e-3\u3c/sup\u3e. We present a direct correlation of (i) mobility, (ii) crystal direction, (iii) diameter, and (iv) coherent strain, all of which are extracted in our work for individual nanowires. Our results imply [110]-oriented Ge-Si core-shell nanowires as a promising candidate for future electronic and quantum transport devices.\u3c/p\u3

InSb Nanowires with Built-In Ga x In 1– x Sb Tunnel Barriers for Majorana Devices

International audienceMajorana zero modes (MZMs), prime candidates for topological quantum bits, are detected as zero bias conductance peaks (ZBPs) in tunneling spectroscopy measurements. Implementation of a narrow and hightunnel barrier in the next generation of Majorana devices can help to achieve the theoretically predicted quantized height of the ZBP.We propose a material-oriented approach to engineer a sharp and narrow tunnel barrier by synthesizing a thin axial segment of GaxIn1-xSb within an InSb nanowire. By varying the precursor molar fraction and the growth time, we accurately control the composition and the length of the barriers. Theheight and the width of the GaxIn1-xSbtunnel barrier areextracted from the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB)-fits to the experimentalI-V trace

Candida colonization and subsequent infections in critically ill surgical patients

OBJECTIVE. The authors determined the role of Candida colonization in the development of subsequent infection in critically ill patients. DESIGN. A 6-month prospective cohort study was given to patients admitted to the surgical and neonatal intensive care units in a 1600-bed university medical center. METHODS. Patients having predetermined criteria for significant Candida colonization revealed by routine microbiologic surveillance cultures at different body sites were eligible for the study. Risk factors for Candida infection were recorded. A Candida colonization index was determined daily as the ratio of the number of distinct body sites (dbs) colonized with identical strains over the total number of dbs tested; a mean of 5.3 dbs per patient was obtained. All isolates (n = 322) sequentially recovered were characterized by genotyping using contour-clamped homogeneous electrical field gel electrophoresis that allowed strain delineation among Candida species. RESULTS. Twenty-nine patients met the criteria for inclusion; all were at high risk for Candida infection; 11 patients (38%) developed severe infections (8 candidemia); the remaining 18 patients were heavily colonized, but never required intravenous antifungal therapy. Among the potential risk factors for candida infection, three discriminated the colonized from the infected patients--i.e., length of previous antibiotic therapy (p < 0.02), severity of illness assessed by APACHE II score (p < 0.01), and the intensity of Candida spp colonization (p < 0.01). By logistic regression analysis, the latter two who were the independent factors that predicted subsequent candidal infection. Candida colonization always preceded infection with genotypically identical Candida spp strain. The proposed colonization indexes reached threshold values a mean of 6 days before Candida infection and demonstrated high positive predictive values (66 to 100%). CONCLUSIONS. The intensity of Candida colonization assessed by systematic screening helps predicting subsequent infections with identical strains in critically ill patients. Accurately identifying high-risk patients with Candida colonization offers opportunity for intervention strategies