Spontaneous growth of uniformly distributed In nanodots and InI3 nanowires on InP induced by a focused ion beam

Focused ion beam instruments (FIB) can be used both as top-down (patterning) and bottom-up structuring tools. Bottom-up applications include self-assembly at random or specific locations during or after ion irradiation. We report on FIB-fabricated nucleation sites on (100)InP for In nanodots and InI3 nanodots as well as nanowires. The hemispherical nanodots and nanowires grow exclusively at previously irradiated areas, showing the applicability of FIB for nanopatterning. Nanostructures whose localization can be precisely controlled are interesting for nanoelectronics and photonics applications. InP is a direct-band-gap semiconductor frequently used for optoelectronics applications because of the width of its band gap, which generates photons in the suitable regime for quartz fibers in telecommunications [1]. Nano-crystallite growth on FIB irradiated areas has been shown for GaAs and InAs [2]. (c) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.