Drastic Changes in Material Composition and Electrical Properties of Gallium-Seeded Germanium Nanowires

Abstract

Varying the growth conditions of gallium-seeded germanium nanostructures leads to significant variations in morphology, and particularly of the electronic properties inducing a transition from the hyperdoping regime to intrinsic germanium crystal formation. The consumption of the growth seed leads to cone-type nanostructures with incorporation of ∼3.8 ± 0.7 at% Ga in Ge at temperatures below 350 °C, while a high density of Ge nanowires with constant diameter can be obtained at higher temperatures. The high-temperature Ga-seeded Ge nanowires exhibit electronic properties of intrinsic Ge nanowires.