Molecular beam epitaxial growth and characterization of non-tapered InN nanowires on Si(111)

We have performed a detailed investigation of the molecular beam epitaxial growth and characterization of InN nanowires spontaneously formed on Si(111) substrates under nitrogen rich conditions. By employing an in situ deposited thin (similar to 0.5 nm) In seeding layer prior to growth initiation, we have achieved, for the first time, non-tapered epitaxial InN nanowires, which exhibit record narrow spectral linewidths of 14 and 40 meV at 5 K and 300 K, respectively. Detailed studies confirm that the wires are nearly free of dislocations and stacking faults. The achievement of non-tapered, nearly homogeneous InN nanowires also enables, for the first time, the derivation of the band gap of InN directly from PL spectroscopy in the temperature range of 5-300 K.