One-dimensional gallium nitride micro/nanostructures synthesized by a space-confined growth technique

Abstract

Hexagonal GaN prismatic sub-micro rods and cone nanowires have been synthesized in a large scale by a novel and controllable space-confined growth method. The as-synthesized GaN products are highly crystalline with a wurtzite structure. The prismatic rods have lengths of 15∼20 μm and diameters of 400∼500 nm enclosed by hexagonal smooth side surfaces and a pyramidal end. And the cone nanowires have average diameters of 150∼200 nm and lengths up to several tens of μm with a cone tip. The photoluminescence (PL) studies reveal prominent band-gap UV emission properties of GaN products and narrow FWHM, indicating the excellent luminescent performance and high crystal quality. For field emission characteristic of GaN nanowires, the turn-on field is about 9.5 V/μm and the current density reaches 1.0 mA/cm² at an electric field of 18 V/ μm. The contrast experiments indicate a novel growth control can be achieved by using a graphite tube as reaction vessel. The sealed graphite tube combined with metallic initiator is greatly responsible for large-scale and uniform preparation of GaN prismatic rods and cone nanowires. Highly symmetric GaN hexagonal micropyramids are grown on a bare Si substrate. The growth mechanism and the control function of the graphite tube are demonstrated. These low-dimensional structures not only enrich semiconducting GaN family, but also are good building blocks for optoelectronic devices.