New method of determining the young’s Modulus of (Ga,Mn)As nanowhiskers with a scanning electron microscope

Arrays of (Ga,Mn)As nanowhiskers have been grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The scanning electron microscopy study of the surface morphology of the samples has revealed the appearance of mechanical vibrations of individual nanowhiskers. To describe the vibrations, a model has been developed for the determination of the Young’s modulus of (Ga,Mn)As nanowhiskers.     

Critical diameters and temperature domains for MBE growth of III–V nanowires on lattice mismatched substrates

We report on the growth properties of InAs, InP and GaAs nanowires (NWs) on different lattice mismatched substrates, in particular, on Si(111), during Au‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We show that the critical diameter for the epitaxial growth of dislocation‐free III–V NWs decreases as the lattice mismatch increases and equals 24 nm for InAs NWs on Si(111), 39 nm for InP NWs on Si(111), 44 nm for InAs NWs on GaAs(111)B, and 110 nm for GaAs NWs on Si(111). When the diameters exceed these critical values, the NWs are dislocated or do not grow at all. The corresponding temperature domains for NW growth extend from 320 °C to 340 °C for InAs NWs on Si(111), 330 °C to 360 °C for InP NWs on Si(111), 370 °C to 420 °C for InAs NWs on GaAs(111)B and 380 °C to 540 °C for GaAs NWs on Si(111). Experimental values for critical diameters are compared to the previous findings and are discussed within the frame of a theoretical model. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On diffusion lengths of Ga adatoms on AlAs(111) and GaAs(111) surfaces

An expression for calculating the effective diffusion length from the measured values of the height and density of nanowhiskers is derived in terms of the diffusion growth model. From experimental data for GaAs nanowhisker MBE growth, the diffusion lengths of Ga adatoms on the GaAs(111) and AlAs(111) surfaces are evaluated. Under typical growth conditions, the value of the Ga diffusion length is found to be about several hundreds of nanometers.     

Impact of Magnetic Pulses on the Structural State of Surfactant Solutions

The impact weak pulses of a magnetic field have on the structure of micellar aqueous solutions of bromide cetyl- trimethylammonium is determined experimentally via gas-discharged visualization. The type of optoelectronic emission patterns depends on the number of magnetic field pulses and corresponds to different modifications of planes of cubical and hexagonal packing.     

Surface energy and crystal structure of nanowhiskers of III–V semiconductor compounds

A theoretical model has been proposed for calculating the surface energy of nanowhiskers in the nearest neighbor approximation. The surface energy has been calculated for different faces of III–V semiconductor crystals with cubic and hexagonal structures. The effect of the formation of the hexagonal wurtzite phase in nanowhiskers of III–V semiconductor compounds has been considered using the obtained data. Estimates for the critical radius of the phase transition in III–V semiconductor nanowhiskers are presented.     

A3B5 nanowhiskers: MBE growth and properties

The structural properties of GaAs nanowhiskers (NWs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are investigated. Under optimal growth conditions, the aspect ratio of MBE grown GaAs NWs is higher than 100. The maximum length of NWs is several times (up to 10) larger than the effective thickness of deposited GaAs. A kinetic model of the diffusion-induced NW rowth is used to predict the dependence of NW length on the technologically controlled MBE growth conditions. The obtained results demonstrate that the NW growth is controlled by the adatom diffusion towards their tip rather than by the conventional vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. The growth conditions influence on the NW morphology may be used for the controlled fabrication of NWs by MBE for different applications. Presented at the X-th Symposium on Suface Physics, Prague, Czech Republic, July 11–15, 2005.     

Self-consistent model of nanowire growth and crystal structure with regard to the adatom diffusion

A self-consistent model of growth and structure of semiconductor nanowires is proposed. The crystal phase of group III–V semiconductor nanowires is studied. The critical radius of the transition from the hexagonal wurtzite (WZ) structure to the cubic structure of zinc blende (ZB) type is calculated as a function of parameters of the system of materials and the gaseous medium supersaturation. The model presented here is applicable to both gas-phase and molecular beam epitaxies and allows one to calculate the probability of formation of the WZ and ZB phases under various deposition conditions.