High performance transistors and photodetectors based on self-catalyzed zinc-blende InP nanowires

Abstract

InP nanowires are an important material for nanoscale electronic and optical devices. However, the crystal phase mixing and stacking faults severely degrade the device's performance. Here, we demonstrate high performance field-effect transistors and photodetectors based on high-quality InP nanowires. The ⟨110⟩-oriented InP nanowires, which are formed by spontaneous kinking from the original ⟨111⟩ nanowire roots, exhibit a stacking-faults-free zinc blende crystal structure. Based on the high-quality nanowire, the field-effect transistor exhibits a high electron mobility of 1438 cm2 V−1 s−1, much higher than that with stacking faults. A high responsivity of 5495 A/W is obtained from the photodetector, among the highest values reported for InP nanowire photodetectors. Moreover, the response/recovery time of the device is only 0.6/2.2 ms, 2–3 orders of magnitude shorter than other InP nanowire photodetectors. The high crystal quality and excellent electrical and optical properties make the zinc blende ⟨110⟩ InP nanowire a promising candidate for high performance electronic and optoelectronic devices.