Growth of ultra thin ZnSe nanowires

We report here the growth of ultra thin ZnSe nanowires at low temperatures by Au-catalyzed molecule beam epitaxy and structural characterization of the nanowires. ZnSe nanowires may contain a high density of stacking faults and twins from low temperature growth and show a phase change from cubic to hexagonal structures. Ultra thin ZnSe nanowires can grow at a temperature below the eutectic point, and the relationship between the growth rates and nanowire diameters is V = 1/dn + C0 (C0 is a constant and n is a fitting parameter). The growth rate of the ultra thin nanowires at low temperatures can be elucidated based on the model involving interface incorporation and diffusion, in which the catalyst is solidified, and the nanowire growth is controlled through the diffusion of atoms into the interface between catalyst and the nanowire. The growth rate of ZnSe ultra-thin nanowires has been simulated.