Influence of composition, strain, and electric field anisotropy on different emission colors and recombination dynamics from InGaN nanodisks in pencil-like GaN nanowires

Abstract

This work reports an experimental and theoretical insight into phenomena of two-color emission and different electron-hole recombination dynamics in InGaN nanodisks, incorporated into pencil-like GaN nanowires. The studied nanodisks consist of one polar (on $c$ facet) and six (nominally) identical semipolar (on $r$ facets) sections, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The combination of cathodoluminescence with scanning electron microscopy spatially resolves the nanodisk two-color emission, the low-energy emission (\ensuremath{\sim}500 nm) originating from the polar section, and the high-energy emission (\ensuremath{\sim}400 nm) originating from the semipolar section. This result has been directly linked to a ``facet-dependent'' nanodisk composition, the In content being significantly higher in the polar ($\ensuremath{\sim}20%$) vs semipolar ($\ensuremath{\sim}10%$) section (as quantified by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy), further leading to a strong facet-dependent strain anisotropy. Time-resolved cathodoluminescence reveals significantly different electron-hole recombination times in the two sections, moderately fast (\ensuremath{\sim}1.3 ns) vs fast (\ensuremath{\sim}0.5 ns) in polar/semipolar sections, respectively, the difference being linked to a strong anisotropy in the nanodisk internal electric fields. To determine the influence of each of the three contributing ``facet-related'' anisotropies (composition, strain, and electric field) on the two-color emission, a proper simulation [relying on virtual crystal approximation and involving three-dimensional (3D) continuum mechanical modeling, a 3D Poisson equation, and a one-dimensional Schr\"odinger equation] has been performed. The theoretical simulations allow the three effects to be quantitatively disentangled, revealing a clear hierarchy among their contributing weights, the facet-dependent composition inhomogeneity being identified as the dominant one (and the strain inhomogeneity being identified as the least significant one). As for different recombination times, while it is mainly linked to the internal electric field anisotropy, we also suggest that it is, very likely, influenced by gradually increasing In content along the nanodisk growth direction (lattice-pulling effect); the latter mechanism keeps electrons and holes in (relative) proximity within the polar section, enabling their relatively fast and efficient radiative recombination.