Raoult's Formalism in Understanding Low-Temperature Growth of GaN Nanowires Using Binary Precursor

Growth of GaN nanowires is carried out via a metal-initiated vapor-liquid solid mechanism using Au as the catalyst. In the chemical vapor deposition technique, GaN nanowires are usually grown at high temperatures in the range of 900-1100 degrees C because of the low vapor pressure of Ga below 900 degrees C. In the present study, we have grown GaN nanowires at a temperature as low as 700 degrees C. The role of indium in the reduction of growth temperature is discussed in the ambit of Raoult's law. Indium is used to increase the vapor pressure of the Ga sufficiently to evaporate even at low temperature, initiating the growth of GaN nanowires. In addition to the studies related to structural and vibrational properties, optical properties of the grown nanowires are also reported for detailed structural analysis.