Inhomogeneous free-electron distribution in InN nanowires: Photoluminescence excitation experiments

Photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra have been measured for a set of self-assembled InN nanowires (NWs) and a high-crystalline quality InN layer grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The PLE experimental lineshapes have been reproduced by a self-consistent calculation of the absorption in a cylindrical InN NW. The differences in the PLE spectra can be accounted for the inhomogeneous electron distribution within the NWs caused by a bulk donor concentration $({N}_{D}^{+})$ and a two-dimensional density of ionized surface states $({N}_{ss}^{+})$. For NW radii larger than 30 nm, ${N}_{D}^{+}$ and ${N}_{ss}^{+}$ modify the absorption edge and the lineshape, respectively, and can be determined f…

Optical studies of MBE-grown InN nanocolumns: Evidence of surface electron accumulation

Photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy of MBE‐grown InN nanocolumns

InN nanocolumns grown under different conditions by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on p-Si (111) substrates are studied by micro-Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. The nanocolumns are free of strain and have an improved crystal quality as shown by the frequency and linewidth of the nonpolar E2h mode. Uncoupled polar modes coexist with a couple LO phonon-plasmon mode and are sensitive to the nanocolumn morphology. Variations in the growth conditions also modify the PL spectra significantly. An increase in the PL energy also involves a reduction of the integrated intensity and an increase of the PL linewidth. This overall phenomenology highlights the role of the surface …

Impact of the scattering coefficient of scintillation crystals (LYSO and LSO) on depth of interaction resolution

Intrinsic parameters in scintillation crystals play a crucial role in the measured spatial and energy resolutions. In many cases the measurement of these intrinsic parameters is difficult to be carried out or even there are parameters that need a specific setup to be measured directly, e.g. the intrinsic light yield and the absorption and scattering coefficients. These uncertainties in the parametrization of the characteristics of the scintillation crystals make it quite difficult to evaluate the quality and characteristics of the scintillation crystals and their impact on the resolutions. Results of measurements of depth of interaction and its resolutions for three different scintillation …

Inhomogeneous electron distribution in InN nanowires: Influence on the optical properties

In this work, we study theoretically and experimentally the influence of the surface electron accumulation on the optical properties of InN nanowires. For this purpose, the photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra have been measured for a set of self-assembled InN NWs grown under different conditions. The photoluminescence excitation experimental lineshapes have been reproduced by a self-consistent calculation of the absorption in a cylindrical InN nanowires. With the self-consistent model we can explore how the optical absorption depends on nanowires radius and doping concentration. Our model solves the Schrodinger equation for a cylindrical nanowire of infinite length, a…

Physical properties and applications of InxGa1−xN nanowires

We have successfully grown InxGa1−xN nanowires by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on silicon substrates. The alloy composition and crystal quality have been analyzed by Raman scattering, photoluminescence spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence nanoprobe techniques. InxGa1−xN is an one-mode alloy, where the different optical modes have an intermediate frequency of that of pure InN and GaN. The sample composition can be derived from the Raman data. On the other hand, by using the optical gap provided by the emission spectra, we conclude that the samples have a lower Ga content than that provided by the Raman analysis. X-ray fluorescence maps and photoluminescence measured in single nanowi…

Spontaneous core–shell elemental distribution in In-rich In(x)Ga1-xN nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy.

International audience; The elemental distribution of self-organized In-rich InxGa1-xN nanowires grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy has been investigated using three different techniques with spatial resolution on the nanoscale. Two-dimensional images and elemental profiles of single nanowires obtained by x-ray fluorescence and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, respectively, have revealed a radial gradient in the alloy composition of each individual nanowire. The spectral selectivity of resonant Raman scattering has been used to enhance the signal from very small volumes with different elemental composition within single nanowires. The combination of the three techniques ha…

Optical properties of InN nanocolumns: Electron accumulation at InN non‐polar surfaces and dependence on the growth conditions

InN nanocolumns grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE). The PL peak energy was red-shifted with respect to the PLE onset and both energies were higher than the low temperature band-gap reported for InN. PL and PLE experiments for different excitation and detection energies indicated that the PL peaks were homogeneously broadened. This overall phenomenology has been attributed to the effects of an electron accumulation layer present atthe non-polar surfaces of the InN nanocolumns. Variations in the growth conditions modify the edge of the PLE spectra and the PL peak energies evidencing that the densit…

Direct observation of elemental segregation in InGaN nanowires by X-ray nanoprobe

Using synchrotron radiation nanoprobe, this work reports on the elemental distribution in single Inx Ga1–xN nanowires (NWs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy directly on Si(111) substrates. Single NWs dispersed on Al covered sapphire were characterized by nano-X-ray fluorescence, Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Both Ga and In maps reveal an inhomogeneous axial distribution inside sin- gle NWs. The analysis of NWs from the same sample but with different dimensions suggests a decrease of In segregation with the reduction of NW diameter, while Ga distribution seems to remain unaltered. Photoluminescence and Raman scattering measurements carried out on ensembles of NWs exhibi…

Elemental distribution and structural characterization of GaN/InGaN core-shell single nanowires by Hard X-ray synchrotron nanoprobes

Improvements in the spatial resolution of synchrotron-based X-ray probes have reached the nano-scale and they, nowadays, constitute a powerful platform for the study of semiconductor nanostructures and nanodevices that provides high sensitivity without destroying the material. Three complementary hard X-ray synchrotron techniques at the nanoscale have been applied to the study of individual nanowires (NWs) containing non-polar GaN/InGaN multi-quantum-wells. The trace elemental sensitivity of X-ray fluorescence allows one to determine the In concentration of the quantum wells and their inhomogeneities along the NW. It is also possible to rule out any contamination from the gold nanoparticle …

Radial composition of single InGaN nanowires: a combined study by EDX, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction

Characterization of single semiconductor nanowires by synchrotron radiation nanoprobe

In this work, we report on the results of the characterization of single semiconductor nanowires by x-ray fluorescence nanoprobe. Wurtzite InGaN and Co-implanted ZnO single nanowires were studied. Ternary semiconductor nanowires show an axial inhomogeneous elemental distribution, with Ga accumulating at the bottom and In at the top of the wires. The ZnO NWs, on the other hand, show a homogeneous distribution of the Co implanted along the nanowires, without signatures of clustering or segregation effects induced by the implantation. No signatures of unintentional doping are observed neither in the InGaN nor the ZnO NWs. These overall results demonstrate the suitability of X-ray fluorescence …