Growth of pure wurtzite InGaAs nanowires for photovoltaic and energy harvesting applications

H. K. Kang, J. Y. Kim, M. S. Noh, C. Y. Kang, Y. D. Kim, M. H. Cho, J. D. Song

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Vertically aligned and dense InGaAs nanowires were grown on Si (111) substrates by Au-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, and their antireflection characteristics were studied. The bandgap of InGaAs nanowires was tuned to be about 1.0 eV by adjusting the In to Ga ratio. The grown nanowires were vertically aligned with a diameter of ~ 20 nm near the top and ~ 44 nm at the bottom, with a slightly tapered structure. This tapered nanostructure was formed due to the different surface diffusivities and affinities of In and Ga to the Au catalyst. The grown InGaAs nanowires have no significant stacking, kinking, and bending defects. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy study showed that the grown InGaAs nanowires have a pure wurtzite single crystalline structure with the maximum length of ~ 18 µm. Photo-reflectometry measurement showed a significant reduction in the reflectance less than ~ 5% at normal incidence in the wavelength range of 200–1700 nm. In addition, spectroscopic ellipsometry study showed a reduced reflectance at various incident angles of 30–70° in the wavelength range of 200–1100 nm. These optical investigations demonstrate the antireflection characteristics of the InGaAs nanowires. Furthermore, piezoelectric responses were collected from the top of the vertically standing InGaAs nanowires at five different points using piezoelectric force microscopy. The measured area for one point was about 50 nm × 50 nm, and the piezoelectric responses of one or two InGaAs nanowires per point were expected to be measured, as the growth direction was along with the polar c-axis [0001] direction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)57-65
Number of pages9
JournalNano Energy
Volume53
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018 Nov

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

  • Antireflection
  • InGaAs nanowires
  • Piezoelectric response
  • Polarization
  • Wurtzite

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • General Materials Science
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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