Spatially controlled, nanoparticle-free growth of InP nanowires

A technique for the growth of InP nanowires, which does not rely on the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism, is demonstrated using selective-area chemical beam epitaxy. The nanowires are precisely positioned on an InP wafer and are always aligned along the available substrate <111>A directions. They have diameters as small as 40 nm, and typical lengths of 600 nm. They are found to be optically active, with thin embedded InAs layers showing quantum-dot-like behavior with well-defined excited states. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.