Fabrication of GaAs quantum wires by metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy and their optical properties

We have grown GaAs quantum wires having nominal cross-sectional dimensions of 20×20 nm² buried in AlGaAs layers, by lateral metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy on the terraced sidewalls of mesa-grooved () substrates. In the photoluminescence spectrum of this sample at 77 K, a dominant emission has been observed at a peak wavelength of 780 nm which corresponds to a blue shift of 80 meV from the GaAs bulk transition. Emission spectroscopy from different positions and imaging by cathodoluminescence have demonstrated that this emission was generated from the sidewalls, indicating that it originates from the quantum wire.