Enhanced Sb incorporation in InAsSb nanowires grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

We demonstrate metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy of InAs(1-x)Sb(x) nanowires (x=0.08-0.77) for applications in high-speed electronics and long-wavelength optical devices. The composition of the InAsSb nanowires and InAsSb epilayers on the same sample is independently determined using lab-setup high resolution x-ray diffraction, by making use of the size-dependent in-plane broadening of the nanowire Bragg peak. We find that the incorporation of Sb into the nanowires is significantly higher than for planar epitaxy under the same growth conditions. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that this is due to a dramatically decreased effective V/III ratio at the particle/nanowire interface. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. (C) [doi: 10.1063/1.3566980]