III‐nitride grown on freestanding GaN nanostructures

We report here the epitaxial growth of III-nitride on the freestanding GaN nanostructures by molecular beam epitaxy growth. Various GaN nanostructures are defined by electron beam lithography and realized on GaN-on-silicon substrate by fast atom beam etching. Silicon substrate beneath GaN nanostructures is removed from the backside to form the freestanding GaN slab, and the epitaxial growth of III-nitride by MBE is performed on the prepared GaN template. The selective growth takes place with the assistance of GaN nanostructures and generates hexagonal III-nitride pyramids. Thin epitaxial structures, depending on the shape and the size of GaN nanostructure, can produce the promising optical performance. This work opens the way to combine silicon micromachining with the epitaxial growth of III-nitride by MBE on GaN-on-silicon substrate for further integrated optics (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)