Growth and Morphology of InN Nanowires on Si<111> and Si<100> at Back-End-Of-Line Compatible Temperatures

Abstract

InN nanowires were grown on Si<111> and Si<100> substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy using a thin AlN buffer layer at temperatures compatible with the thermal budget limitation imposed by Back-End-Of-Line processing. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction reveals different nucleation behaviors on the two substrate orientations, with higher structural disorder in the case of Si<100>. However, vertically aligned nanowires with hexagonal cross section and N polarity are obtained on both substrates. A statistical analysis of nanowire morphology as a function of growth temperature indicates similar trends in diameter, density, and length on Si<111> and Si<100>, which are explained by adatom kinetics during growth. Nanowires on Si<100> exhibit improved uniformity and reduced tapering, attributed to the different nanowire nucleation due to microstructural properties of the AlN buffer layer. The results demonstrate the feasibility of growing high-quality InN nanowires on Si<100>, supporting their potential for monolithic integration of nanowire-based photodetectors on silicon.