Multinary III–V semiconductor nanowires molecular beam epitaxially grown on Si wafer

Integrating III-V compound semiconductor nanowires on Si substrates provides enhanced optical functionalities for silicon-based technologies. Using molecular beam epitaxy, we grew gallium arsenide related heterostructure nanowires within the broader (Al,Ga,In)(N,As,Sb,Bi) compound semiconductor family on 2-inch Si(111) wafer based on a self-catalyzed gallium-induced vapor–liquid–solid method. The nanowire ensembles are uniformly distributed with typical lengths of 5 micrometers, diameters of 300 nanometers, and densities on the order of one hundred million per square centimeter. Their dense coverage causes strong optical absorption and a dark surface appearance, while bright and homogeneous photoluminescence is observed. Functional control further enables nonlinear optics, dilute-nitrogen lasers, bismuth-based quantum structures, and polarized white-light emissions.