Growth and Optical Properties of Direct Band Gap Ge/Ge<sub>0.87</sub>Sn<sub>0.13</sub> Core/Shell Nanowire Arrays.

Assali, S; Dijkstra, A; Li, A; Koelling, S; Verheijen, M A; Gagliano, L; von den Driesch, N; Buca, D et al. · Nano Lett · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Group IV semiconductor optoelectronic devices are now possible by using strain-free direct band gap GeSn alloys grown on a Ge/Si virtual substrate with Sn contents above 9%. Here, we demonstrate the growth of Ge/GeSn core/shell nanowire arrays with Sn incorporation up to 13% and without the formation of Sn clusters. The nanowire geometry promotes strain relaxation in the Ge<sub>0.87</sub>Sn<sub>0.13</sub> shell and limits the formation of structural defects. This results in room-temperature photoluminescence centered at 0.465 eV and enhanced absorption above 98%. Therefore, direct band gap GeSn grown in a nanowire geometry holds promise as a low-cost and high-efficiency material for photodetectors operating in the short-wave infrared and thermal imaging devices.