Observation and Impact of a "Surface Skin Effect" on Lateral Growth of Nanocrystals

Published

June 3, 2017

Author(s)

Babak Nikoobakht, Elias J. Garratt, Paola Prete, Nico Lovergine

Abstract

We investigate the impact of a quasi-crystalline two (2D) dimensional surface on the lateral epitaxy of one-dimensional (1D) nanocrystals. The quasi-2D surface was formed by locally conditioning a crystalline lattice at- and below-surface using a low dose focused-ion beam to create arrays of sub- 10 nm circular discs containing lattice disorder. Studying the trace of injected ions below-surface shows that the crystallinity of the top 10 nm of the substrate is the key enabler for observing the surface lateral epitaxy. In-depth analysis of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of GaN lattice shows that if this thin layer is disrupted, epitaxy stops. In some observations where this layer rebounds, the lateral epitaxy also prevails. This work would have practical implications for epitaxial growth of 1D-2D heterojunctions on non-crystalline surfaces and creating novel bonding geometries in integrating 1D nanocrystals to zero-dimensional (0D) or 2D nanocrystals.

Citation

Journal of Physical Chemistry C

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b02299

Local Download

Keywords

two (2D) dimensional surface, nanocrystals, heterojunctions

Citation

Nikoobakht, B. , Garratt, E. , Prete, P. and Lovergine, N. (2017), Observation and Impact of a "Surface Skin Effect" on Lateral Growth of Nanocrystals, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, [online], https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b02299, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=921855 (Accessed October 10, 2025)