Generic technique to grow III-V semiconductor nanowires in a closed glass vessel

Crystalline III-V semiconductor nanowires have great potential in fabrication of nanodevices for applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics, and for studies of novel physical phenomena. Sophisticated epitaxy techniques with precisely controlled growth conditions are often used to prepare high quality III-V nanowires. The growth process and cost of these experiments are therefore dedicated and very high. Here, we report a simple but generic method to synthesize III-V nanowires with high crystal quality. The technique employs a closed evacuated tube vessel with a small tube carrier containing a solid source of materials and another small tube carrier containing a growth substrate inside. The growth of nanowires is achieved after heating the closed vessel in a furnace to a preset high temperature and then cooling it down naturally to room temperature. The technique has been employed to grow InAs, GaAs, and GaSb nanowires on Si/SiO2 substrates. The as-grown nanowires are analyzed by SEM, TEM and Raman spectroscopy and the results show that the nanowires are high quality zincblende single crystals. No particular condition needs to be adjusted and controlled in the experiments. This technique provides a convenient way of synthesis of III-V semiconductor nanowires with high material quality for a wide range of applications.