Formation of a system of InGaAs quantum wires in a gallium arsenide matrix

The formation of a system of one-dimensional quantum conductors in porous multilayer In_xGa_1?xAs/GaAs structures with a two-dimensional charge-carrier gas in the In_xGa_1?xAs layers is discussed. The transition from the single-crystalline to porous matrix is studied with scanning atomic force microcopy. A decrease in the dimensionality of the electron-hole gas in the objects, i.e., a transition from the two-dimensional to a one-dimensional system, is established by analyzing the dependences of the position and width of a spectral line in the photoluminescence spectra on the etching time. Both multilayer periodic superlattices and a structure with a single In_xGa_1?xAs layer located near the surface of gallium arsenide are studied. The electrophysical characteristics of electrons in the porous superlattices are measured as functions of temperature. They confirm the formation of a new structure and indicate a change in the mechanism of electron scattering in the quasi-one-dimensional transport channels formed in the system.