Growth and Characterization of Unintentionally Doped GaSb Nanowires

GaSb nanowires were synthesized on c-plane sapphire substrates by gold-mediated vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth using a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process. A narrow process window for GaSb nanowire growth was identified. Chemical analysis revealed variations in the catalyst composition which were explained in terms of the Au-Ga-Sb ternary phase diagram and suggest that the VLS growth mechanism was responsible for the nanowire growth. The nominally undoped GaSb nanowires were determined to be p-type with resistivity on the order of 0.23 Omega cm. The photoluminescence was found to be highly dependent on the V/III ratio, with an optimal ratio of unity.