Growth of High-Quality InP Nanowires with PN Junctions Using an Improved Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract Nanowires grown by traditional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems often suffer from low crystal quality and difficulties in realizing complex device structures. To address these issues, we propose an improved CVD system with a source switching unit to enhance the controllability of source materials. By combining reverse gas flow and high-temperature degassing processes, high-quality InP nanowires with pn junctions were successfully grown. Scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy revealed that the as-grown nanowires exhibit smooth surfaces, no significant defects, and high crystal quality. Furthermore, a single InP nanowire with a pn junction demonstrated rectifying characteristics and fast photoswitch response (less than 14.2 ms). These results suggest that the improved CVD method provides a new approach for low-cost fabrication of high-quality nanodevices.