Growth and characterization of indium phosphide single-crystal nanoneedles on microcrystalline silicon surfaces

The epitaxial growth of nanometer-scale structures on non-single crystalline surfaces is proposed and demonstrated. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon was deposited onto an SiO2 surface by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Indium phosphide was deposited on the amorphous silicon by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition in the presence of colloidal gold particles as catalysts. Under specific growth conditions, the indium phosphide formed nanoneedles connected to a microcrystalline silicon film nucleated within the amorphous silicon during the growth of the nanoneedles. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of two different crystallographic structures: zinc-blende and wurtzite. Micro-photoluminescence measurements at room temperature showed two peaks with substantial blue-shifts with respect to that of bulk zinc-blende indium phosphide.