Axonal guidance on patterned free-standing nanowire surfaces

We demonstrate high-fidelity guidance of axons using rows of nanowires. The axons are prevented from crossing the rows, making it possible to guide and sort a large number of axons as opposed to when chemical patterns are used. Focal adhesion forms at the nanowires establishing a possible site of information transfer between the surface and the cells. Rows of gallium phosphide (GaP) nanowires were epitaxially grown on GaP(111) substrates in patterns defined by electron beam lithography.     

Electronic properties of GaP nanowires of different shapes

The electronic properties of very thin gallium phosphide nanowires of different shapes were studied by ab-initio method using the generalized gradient approximation. We consider four different shapes of nanowires viz. linear wire, zigzag wire, square wire and hexagonal wire. The geometry optimization and the stability of all nanowires were investigated. We explore the minimum energy configuration for all the structures. The present study reveals that all of the wires are stable but four atom square wires have greater stability in comparison to other structures. The analysis of density of states and band structure of optimized nanowires predicts that nanowires made from bulk GaP can be either metallic, semi-metallic, semiconducting or insulating depending upon the geometrical shape of the wire.     

The growth of ultralong and highly blue luminescent gallium oxide nanowires and nanobelts, and direct horizontal nanowire growth on substrates

We report the growth of ultralong β-Ga(2)O(3) nanowires and nanobelts on silicon substrates using a vapor phase transport method. The growth was carried out in a tube furnace, with gallium metal serving as the gallium source. The nanowires and nanobelts can grow to lengths of hundreds of nanometers and even millimeters. Their full lengths have been captured by both scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical images. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images have been used to study the crystal structures of these nanowires and nanobelts. Strong blue emission from these ultralong nanostructures can be readily observed by irradiation with an ultraviolet (UV) lamp. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements gave a band gap of 4.56?eV for these nanostructures. The blue emission shows a band maximum at 470?nm. Interestingly, by annealing the silicon substrates in an oxygen atmosphere to form a thick SiO(2) film, and growing Ga(2)O(3) nanowires over the sputtered gold patterned regions, horizontal Ga(2)O(3) nanowire growth in the non-gold-coated regions can be observed. These horizontal nanowires can grow to as long as over 10?μm in length. Their composition has been confirmed by TEM characterization. This represents one of the first examples of direct horizontal growth of oxide nanowires on substrates.     

The effects of gallium droplets on the morphologies and structures of alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructures grown on iron substrates

Alpha-Fe2O3 nanowires and nanobelts were grown by the thermal oxidation of iron substrates with or without gallium droplets in the air. The nanowires and nanobelts show a bicrystal structure with the growth direction uniformly along [110]. The morphological and structural properties of the as-grown alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructures are described and the growth condition dependence of the alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructures is shown. The transformation from nanowires to nanobelts occurs with the increase of growth temperature and addition of gallium. In addition, the growth evolution is investigated with reference to the Fe surface diffusion and supersaturation.     

Doping gradients in layers of gallium phosphide grown by liquid epitaxy

Layers of epitaxial gallium phosphide doped with either tellurium, sulphur or zinc over the range 10¹⁶ to 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ have been grown from gallium solution using a vertical dipping system. These layers of thickness 60 to 80 μm have been produced on the (100) and (111)B faces of gallium phosphide single crystal substrates at high growth rates. Doping gradients have been investigated by a Schottky barrier technique over an angle lapped region of the grown slice, measuring the capacitance voltage characteristics of the individual barriers. Significant changes in doping level have been observed throughout the thickness of the layers and these are related to the variation of distribution coefficient, the losses of impurity from the system and the presence of competing background impurity systems.     

Elastic Gallium Phosphide Nanowire Optical Waveguides—Versatile Subwavelength Platform for Integrated Photonics

Emerging technologies for integrated optical circuits demand novel approaches and materials. This includes a search for nanoscale waveguides that should satisfy criteria of high optical density, small cross-section, technological feasibility and structural perfection. All these criteria are met with self-assembled gallium phosphide (GaP) epitaxial nanowires. In this work, the effects of the nanowire geometry on their waveguiding properties are studied both experimentally and numerically. Cut-off wavelength dependence on the nanowire diameter is analyzed to demonstrate the pathways for fabrication of low-loss and subwavelength cross-section waveguides for visible and near-infrared (IR) ranges. Probing the waveguides with a supercontinuum laser unveils the filtering properties of the nanowires due to their resonant action. The nanowires exhibit perfect elasticity allowing fabrication of curved waveguides. It is demonstrated that for the nanowire diameters exceeding the cut-off value, the bending does not sufficiently reduce the field confinement promoting applicability of the approach for the development of nanoscale waveguides with a preassigned geometry. Optical X-coupler made of two GaP nanowires allowing for spectral separation of the signal is fabricated. The results of this work open new ways for the utilization of GaP nanowires as elements of advanced photonic logic circuits and nanoscale interferometers.     

Properties of Gallium Phosphide Thick Films Prepared on Zinc Sulfide Substrates by Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was employed to prepare gallium phosphide (GaP) thick films on zinc sulfide (ZnS) substrates by sputtering a single crystalline GaP target in an Ar atmosphere. The infrared (IR) transmission properties, structure, morphology, composition and hardness of the film were studied. Results show that both amorphous and zinc-blende crystalline phases existed in the GaP film in almost stoichiometric amounts. The GaP film exhibited good IR transmission properties, though the ...     

Synthesis and single crystal growth of gallium phosphide by the liquid encapsulated vertical Bridgman technique

Gallium phosphide is a typical III–V compound semiconductor and is also an important electronic material. The synthesis and single crystal growth of this compound by melt methods is rendered very difficult because of the large phosphorus vapour pressure. A high pressure vessel with internal heating and a quartz reactor was first developed for the direct synthesis of gallium phosphide. The crystal growth was carried out in a second high pressure chamber rated for 100 bars gas pressure and equipped with the paraphernalia for crystal growth. Single crystals of gallium phosphide were grown from the polycrystalline starting material by the vertical Bridgman method and the vapour pressure problem was overcome by encapsulating the melt in a column of molten boric oxide. Both boron nitride and silica were employed as crucibles, and with the former, single crystal rods of 8–10 mm diameter and 10–15 mm length were obtained.     

Growth and characterization of indium phosphide nanowires on transparent conductive ZnO:Al films

The epitaxial growth of indium phosphide nanowires (InP NWs) on transparent conductive aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films is proposed and demonstrated. ZnO:Al thin films were prepared on quartz substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, then InP NWs were grown on them by plasma enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition with gold catalyst. Microstructure and optical properties of InP nanowires on ZnO:Al thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy at room temperature. SEM shows that randomly oriented and intersecting InP nanowires were grown to form a network on ZnO:Al thin films. Both wurtzite (WZ) and zincblende (ZB) structures coexist in the random orientation InP NWs on ZnO:Al thin film had been proved by XRD analysis. XPS result indicates Zn diffusion exists in the InP NWs on ZnO:Al. The photoluminescence spectra of InP nanowires with Zn diffusion present an emission at 915 nm. Zn diffusion also bring effect on Raman spectra of InP NWs, leading to more Raman-shift and larger relative intensity ratio of TO/LO.     

Spatial-mode control of vertical-cavity lasers with micromirrors fabricated and replicated in semiconductor materials

Micromirrors were fabricated in gallium phosphide by mass transport to provide spatial-mode control of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's). The concave mirrors were used in an external-cavity configuration to provide spatial filtering in the far field. Single-mode cw lasing was demonstrated in 15-mum-diameter VCSEL's with currents as high as 6 times threshold. The fabrication process was extended to micromirrors in gallium arsenide by use of a replication and dry-etch transfer process.     

Effect of Oxide Assisted Metal Nanoparticles on Microstructure and Morphology of Gallium oxide Nanowires

Several researches have been reported about the characteristic of β-Ga2O3 nanowires which was synthesized on nickel oxide particle. But indeed, recent researches about synthesis of β-Ga2O3 nanowires on oxide-assisted transition metal are limited to nickel or cobalt oxide catalyst. In this work, Gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3 ) nanowires were synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation method from gallium powder in the range of 700 - 1000℃ using the iron, nickel, copper, cobalt and zinc oxide as a catalyst, respectively. The β-Ga2O3 nanowires with single crystalline without defects were successfully synthesized at the reaction temperature of 850, 900 and 950℃ in all the catalysts. But optimum experimental condition in synthesis of nanowires varied with the kind of catalyst. As increasing synthesis temperature,the morphology of gallium oxide nanowires changed from nanowires to nanorods, and its diameter increased. From these results, we could be proposed that the growth mechanism of β-Ga2O3 nanowires was changed with synthesis temperature of nanowires. Microstructure and morphology of Synthesized nanowire was characterized by HR-TEM, FE-SEM, EDX and XRD.     

Homoepitaxial n-core: p-shell gallium nitride nanowires: HVPE overgrowth on MBE nanowires

We present the homoepitaxial growth of p-type, magnesium doped gallium nitride shells by use of halide vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) on n-type gallium nitride nanowires grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Scanning electron microscopy shows clear dopant contrast between the core and shell of the nanowire. The growth of magnesium doped nanowire shells shows little or no effect on the lattice parameters of the underlying nanowires, as measured by x-ray diffraction (XRD). Photoluminescence measurements of the nanowires show the appearance of sub-bandgap features in the blue and the ultraviolet, indicating the presence of acceptors. Finally, electrical measurements confirm the presence of electrically active holes in the nanowires.     

Properties of Gallium Phosphide Thick Films Prepared on Zinc Sul-de Substrates by Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was employed to prepare gallium phosphide (GaP) thick films on zinc sulfide (ZnS) substrates by sputtering a single crystalline GaP target in an Ar atmosphere. The infrared (IR) transmission properties, structure, morphology, composition and hardness of the film were studied. Results show that both amorphous and zinc-blende crystalline phases existed in the GaP film in almost stoichiometric amounts. The GaP film exhibited good IR transmission properties, though the relatively rough surface and loose microstructure caused a small loss of IR transmission due to scattering. The GaP film also showed a much higher hardness than the ZnS substrate, thereby providing good protection to ZnS.     

Chemical beam epitaxial growth of GaInP using TBP, TIPGa and EDMIn

In this work the effects of growth temperature on the growth of gallium indium phosphide (GaInP) by the chemical beam epitaxy technique are reported. Triisopropylgallium, ethyldimethylindium and tertiarybutyl-phosphine were used as the gallium, indium and phosphorus sources, respectively. The growth rate, surface morphology, low temperature (15 K) and room temperature (300 K) photolumine-scence (PL) were studied as functions of the growth temperature. The optimum growth temperature was found to be 520°C where the PL spectra show only a single strong and narrow band edge peak.     

Single crystal GaN nanowires

Single crystal gallium nitride nanowires have been obtained by heating gallium acetylacetonate in the presence of carbon nanotubes or activated carbon in NH3 vapor at 910 degrees C. GaN nanowires also were obtained when the reaction of gallium acetylacetonate with NH3 was carried out over catalytic Fe/Ni particles dispersed over silica. The former procedure with carbon nanotubes is preferable because it avoids the presence of metal particles in the nanowire bundles.     

Crystallographic alignment of high-density gallium nitride nanowire arrays

Single-crystalline, one-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures are considered to be one of the critical building blocks for nanoscale optoelectronics. Elucidation of the vapour-liquid-solid growth mechanism has already enabled precise control over nanowire position and size, yet to date, no reports have demonstrated the ability to choose from different crystallographic growth directions of a nanowire array. Control over the nanowire growth direction is extremely desirable, in that anisotropic parameters such as thermal and electrical conductivity, index of refraction, piezoelectric polarization, and bandgap may be used to tune the physical properties of nanowires made from a given material. Here we demonstrate the use of metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) and appropriate substrate selection to control the crystallographic growth directions of high-density arrays of gallium nitride nanowires with distinct geometric and physical properties. Epitaxial growth of wurtzite gallium nitride on (100) gamma-LiAlO(2) and (111) MgO single-crystal substrates resulted in the selective growth of nanowires in the orthogonal [1\[Evec]0] and [001] directions, exhibiting triangular and hexagonal cross-sections and drastically different optical emission. The MOCVD process is entirely compatible with the current GaN thin-film technology, which would lead to easy scale-up and device integration.     

Conversion between hexagonal GaN and beta-Ga(2)O(3) nanowires and their electrical transport properties

We have observed that the hexagonal GaN nanowires grown from a simple chemical vapor deposition method using gallium metal and ammonia gas are usually gallium-doped. By annealing in air, the gallium-doped hexagonal GaN nanowires could be completely converted to beta-Ga(2)O(3) nanowires. Annealing the beta-Ga(2)O(3) nanowires in ammonia could convert them back to undoped hexagonal GaN nanowires. Field effect transistors based on these three kinds of nanowires were fabricated, and their performances were studied. Because of gallium doping, the as-grown GaN nanowires show a weak gating effect. Through the conversion process of GaN nanowires (gallium-doped) --> Ga(2)O(3) nanowires --> GaN nanowires (undoped) via annealing, the final undoped GaN nanowires display different electrical properties than the initial gallium-doped GaN nanowires, show a pronounced n-type gating effect, and can be completely turned off.     

Toward optimized light utilization in nanowire arrays using scalable nanosphere lithography and selected area growth

Vertically aligned, catalyst-free semiconducting nanowires hold great potential for photovoltaic applications, in which achieving scalable synthesis and optimized optical absorption simultaneously is critical. Here, we report combining nanosphere lithography (NSL) and selected area metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (SA-MOCVD) for the first time for scalable synthesis of vertically aligned gallium arsenide nanowire arrays, and surprisingly, we show that such nanowire arrays with patterning defects due to NSL can be as good as highly ordered nanowire arrays in terms of optical absorption and reflection. Wafer-scale patterning for nanowire synthesis was done using a polystyrene nanosphere template as a mask. Nanowires grown from substrates patterned by NSL show similar structural features to those patterned using electron beam lithography (EBL). Reflection of photons from the NSL-patterned nanowire array was used as a measure of the effect of defects present in the structure. Experimentally, we show that GaAs nanowires as short as 130 nm show reflection of <10% over the visible range of the solar spectrum. Our results indicate that a highly ordered nanowire structure is not necessary: despite the "defects" present in NSL-patterned nanowire arrays, their optical performance is similar to "defect-free" structures patterned by more costly, time-consuming EBL methods. Our scalable approach for synthesis of vertical semiconducting nanowires can have application in high-throughput and low-cost optoelectronic devices, including solar cells.     

Preparation of anisotropic transition metal phosphide nanocrystals: the case of nickel phosphide nanoplatelets, nanorods, and nanowires

We have synthesized anisotropic nickel phosphide nanocrystals, including triangular/hexagonal nanoplatelets, nanorods and nanowires, via a solution-phase synthetic method that uses nickel(II) acetylacetonate as a metal precursor and trioctylphosphine as a phosphorus source. Nickel phosphide nanoplatelets have been prepared from a one-pot reaction, and their dimensions in the length mostly vary from 20 to 50 nm, while their thicknesses are in a narrow range of 7-9 nm. Nickel phosphide nanorods with a width of approximately 6 nm and a typical length of 25-32 nm can be synthesized from either the one-pot reaction or the multi-injection approach, although the latter can generate nanorods with a much higher uniformity. A continuous injection approach has been used to synthesize nanowires that have a typical width of approximately 6 nm and a length ranging from tens of nanometers up to several hundred nanometers. Major factors that influence the growth of nickel phosphide nanocrystals have been investigated, and a multi-surfactant system is found to be essential for the formation of anisotropic nanostructure. Magnetic studies have revealed paramagnetic characteristics for all the synthesized samples.     

可见光响应型Pt/GaP纳米粉体的光催化性质

利用水合肼液相还原法在纳米磷化镓(GaP)粉体表面沉积贵金属铂(Pt), 制备低Pt担载量Pt(0.80 wt%)/GaP和高Pt担载量Pt(4.2 wt%)/GaP纳米粉体样品. 在可见光照射条件下, 分别以GaP和Pt/GaP纳米粉体作为光催化剂, 对结晶紫水溶液进行光催化降解. 实验结果表明, GaP和Pt/GaP两种纳米粉体皆具有可见光响应光催化性能; Pt担载量对Pt/GaP纳米粉体的光催化性能有着较大的影响, 低Pt担载量Pt(0.80 wt%)/GaP纳米粉体的结晶紫光催化脱色率高于GaP纳米粉体, 而高Pt担载量Pt(4.2 wt%)/GaP粉体的结晶紫光催化脱色率则低于GaP纳米粉体.