Self-catalyzed growth of pure zinc blende ⟨110⟩ InP nanowires

Abstract

We demonstrate the self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid growth of ⟨110⟩ InP nanowires (NWs) by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The ⟨110⟩ InP nanowire is formed via a spontaneous kinking from the original ⟨111⟩ growth direction, which is attributed to instabilities at the liquid/solid interface caused by a fast In incorporation into the droplet. The NW length before kinking has a nearly linear relationship with the diameter, offering a way to control the NW morphology for different applications. The ⟨110⟩ nanowire exhibits pure zinc blende crystal structure and a narrower emission linewidth in comparison with a typical ⟨111⟩ nanowire, demonstrating its potential applications in high-performance electronic and photonic devices.