Structural and electronic properties of InN nanowire network grown by vapor-liquid-solid method

Growth of InN nanowires have been carried out on quartz substrates at different temperatures by vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) technique using different thicknesses of Au catalyst layer. It has been found that a narrow window of Au layer thickness and growth temperature leads to multi-nucleation, in which each site acts as the origin of several nanowires. In this multi-nucleation regime, several tens of micrometer long wires with diameter as small as 20 nm are found to grow along [112̄0] direction (a-plane) to form a dense network. Structural and electronic properties of these wires are studied. As grown nanowires show degenerate n-type behavior. Furthermore, x-ray photoemission study reveals an accumulation of electrons on the surface of these nanowires. Interestingly, the wire network shows persistence of photoconductivity for several hours after switching off the photoexcitation.