Vertically aligned wurtzite CdTe nanowires derived from a catalytically driven growth mode

Substrate-based catalytic growth modes have been widely used to fabricate vertically aligned nanowires for most technologically relevant semiconducting systems, with CdTe being a notable exception. The catalysts that promote a one-dimensional nanoscale growth mode in other systems seem to fail, creating the need for an alternative approach. Here, we demonstrate how nanowire structures can be derived from a newly developed catalytically driven process. The vertically aligned nanowires produced are highly faceted and share an epitaxial relationship with the underlying substrate. The nanowire structures could also be described as nanorods; they show a high degree of size uniformity over large areas with heights of 300 nm imposed by growth dynamics. Two-dimensional x-ray diffraction techniques indicate that the CdTe exists in the wurtzite crystal structure instead of the zinc blende structure normally associated with the bulk material. The work presented here adds these substrate-based wurtzite CdTe nanowires to the growing list of potential building blocks for nano-based devices.