Characteristics of Strain-Induced In_<i>x</i>Ga_1–<i>x</i>As Nanowires Grown on Si(111) Substrates

Abstract

Large strain-energy arising from lattice mismatch allows one-dimensional heteroepitaxial growth of In x Ga 1– x As on silicon substrates without any catalyst or pattern assistance. In this paper, we show that in contrast to nanowires (NWs) grown by metal-catalyzed vapor–liquid–solid mechanism, strain-induced In x Ga 1– x As NWs have several unique morphological features including no tapering, slight bending, and composition-dependent NW height saturation. Although small fluctuation exists, no systematic composition variations are observed over the entire In x Ga 1– x As NW length within the resolution of the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis.