Patterned gold-assisted growth of GaP nanowires on Si

The patterning of metal seed particles for the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth of semiconductor nanowires is examined. We report the challenges of obtaining GaP nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) from a patterned array of Au seed particles created by electron beam lithography. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed the presence of a thin silicon oxide layer over the patterned Au seed particles. Au acted as a catalyst for …