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Stable Defects in Semiconductor Nanowires

Sanchez, AM; Gott, JA; Fonseka, HA; Zhang, Y; Liu, H; Beanland, R; (2018) Stable Defects in Semiconductor Nanowires. Nano Letters , 18 (5) pp. 3081-3087. 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00620. Green open access

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Abstract

Semiconductor nanowires are commonly described as being defect-free due to their ability to expel mobile defects with long-range strain fields. Here, we describe previously undiscovered topologically protected line defects with null Burgers vector that, unlike dislocations, are stable in nanoscale crystals. We analyze the defects present in semiconductor nanowires in regions of imperfect crystal growth, i.e., at the nanowire tip formed during consumption of the droplet in self-catalyzed vapor–liquid–solid growth and subsequent vapor–solid shell growth. We use a form of the Burgers circuit method that can be applied to multiply twinned material without difficulty. Our observations show that the nanowire microstructure is very different from bulk material, with line defects either (a) trapped by locks or other defects, (b) arranged as dipoles or groups with a zero total Burgers vector, or (c) have a zero Burgers vector. We find two new line defects with a null Burgers vector, formed from the combination of partial dislocations in twinned material. The most common defect is the three-monolayer high twin facet with a zero Burgers vector. Studies of individual nanowires using cathodoluminescence show that optical emission is quenched in defective regions, showing that they act as strong nonradiative recombination centers.

Type: Article
Title: Stable Defects in Semiconductor Nanowires
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00620
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00620
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Nanowire, defects, STEM, CL
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Electronic and Electrical Eng
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10059742
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