Exploring the Growth Mechanisms of GaAs Nanowires Grown by MBE

We have successfully grown GaAs nanowires by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. In this work, we investigate the principal growth mechanisms underlying nanowire growth by measuring the morphology of the nanowires and comparing them to a simple growth model. From this, we are able to make several conclusions. The results of the data show that Adatom Diffusion contributes more to the overall growth rate than Direct Impingement. We also discover that Adatom Diffusion causes a large variance in the lengths of nanowires with the same diameter. From this research, it is evident that in order to gain control of the growth of semiconducting nanowires, more research is required to study the effects of growth conditions on Adatom Diffusion. I.Introduction Research dedicated to understanding and controlling the growth of semiconducting nanowires has grown in interest for their potential to advance technology for application in next generation computing [1], ballistic photonic waveguides [2], and for interconnecting molecules for molecular computing [3]. To realize this potential, we have to be able to control their growth. In order for us to be able to that, understanding the growth mechanisms associated with nanowire growth is necessary. II. Experimental Methods In this study, GaAs nanowires are grown by using Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) [4]. A GaAs substrate is loaded on the holder present inside the MBE chamber. The chamber itself is kept at high vacuum and surrounded by a shroud that is cooled by liquid nitrogen, which helps improve the vacuum. An effusion cell then deposits a layer of Au film on top of the substrate, which is then rotated and heated. As the sample is heated, the Au film absorbs Ga from the substrate and melts, forming eutectic Au-Ga droplets on top of the substrate. More effusion cells fire beam the dropl as the gr using thi condition W diameter images o that were and diam III. A Sim In two grow Adatom beam wh