Nanochannel-directed growth of multi-segment nanowire heterojunctions of metallic Au 1- xGe x and semiconducting Ge

Xiangdong Li, Guowen Meng, Shengyong Qin, Qiaoling Xu, Zhaoqin Chu, Xiaoguang Zhu, Mingguang Kong, An Ping Li

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Figure Persented: We report on the synthesis of multi-segment nanowire (NW) junctions of Au 1-xGe x and Ge inside the nanochannels of porous anodic aluminum oxide template. The one-dimensional heterostructures are grown with a low-temperature chemical vapor deposition process, assisted by electrodeposited Au nanowires (AuNWs). The Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid growth process occurs simultaneously in multiple locations along the nanochannel, which leads to multi-segment Au 1-xGe x/Ge heterojunctions. The structures of the as-grown hybrid NWs, analyzed by using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy elemental mapping, show clear compositional modulation with variable modulation period and controllable junction numbers. Remarkably, both GeNW and Au 1-xGe xNW segments are single crystalline with abrupt interfaces and good crystallographic coherences. The electronic and transport properties of individual NW junctions are measured by using a multi-probe scanning tunneling microscope, which confirms the semiconducting nature of Ge segments and the metallic behavior of Au 1-xGe x segments, respectively. The high yield of multiple segment NW junctions of a metal-semiconductor can facilitate the applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics that harness multiple functionalities of heterointerfaces.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)831-836
Number of pages6
JournalACS Nano
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 24 2012

Keywords

  • chemical vapor deposition
  • electrodeposition
  • germanium
  • gold
  • multiple segment hybrid nanowires

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