High-yield synthesis of single-crystalline InSb nanowires by using control of the source container

Single-crystalline InSb nanowires were synthesized on a SiO2wafer through the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism by using the chemical vapor deposition method. We also identified the effect of the source container system, closed- or open-boat, which contained SiO2 wafers, on the InSb powder, and the single-crystalline InSb nanowires were found to have different growth mechanisms. The structural characterization of the InSb nanowires was performed using a scanning electron microscope. The crystallinity and the composition of the InSb nanowires were investigated using X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We demonstrated that the InSb nanowires were thick and long, when an open-boat system was used, because the open-boat system can carry a greater amount of the vapor-phase InSb precursor than the closed-boat system. A high yield of the InSb nanowires can be obtained using the open-boat system. Additionally, the diameter of the InSb nanowires was quite thick because of the increased the growth time as a result of the dominant vapor-solid mechanism.