Photoluminescence Properties of a Nearly Intrinsic Single InN Nanowire

Abstract In this paper, the achievement of nearly intrinsic InN nanowire is reported. With the use of an in situ deposited In seeding layer, nearly defect‐free, non‐tapered InN nanowires are grown directly on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The photoluminescence emission of a single InN nanowire is analyzed, which exhibits, for the first time, a very narrow (∼13 meV) spectral linewidth, a clear band filling effect with the increase of excitation power, and a significant red shift of the peak energy with increasing temperature. Detailed analysis confirms the InN nanowire has a very low residual doping of ∼1 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, or less. It is further suggested that there is a small, or negligible level of electron accumulation at the lateral nonpolar surfaces of nearly intrinsic InN nanowires, which is in direct contrast to the commonly observed surface electron accumulation of n‐type degenerate InN.