ZnTe nanowires grown on GaAs(100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

ZnTe nanowires with an average diameter of about 30 nm and lengths above 1 mu m were grown on GaAs(100) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. The growth process was based on the Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. A thin gold layer (3-20 angstrom thick) annealed in high vacuum prior to the nanowire growth was used as a source of catalytic nanoparticles. The nanowires are inclined about 55 degrees to the (100) substrate surface normal. They have a zinc-blende crystal structure and their growth axis is < 111 >. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.