We describe the controlled growth of planar InAsSb nanowires (NWs) on differently oriented Si substrates without any foreign catalysts. Interestingly, the planar InAsSb NWs grew along four criss-crossed ⟨110⟩ directions on an [100]-oriented substrate, two ⟨100⟩ directions plus four ⟨111⟩ directions on an [110]-oriented substrate, and six equivalent ⟨112⟩ directions on an [111]-oriented substrate, which correspond to the projections of ⟨111⟩ family crystal directions on the substrate planes. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveals that the NWs experienced a transition from out-of-plane to in-plane growth at the early growth stage but still occurred on the {111} plane, which has the lowest surface energy among all the surfaces. Furthermore, the NWs exhibit a pure zinc-blende crystal structure without any defects. A growth model is presented to explain growth of the NWs. In addition, conductive atomic force microscopy shows that electrically rectifying p-n junctions form naturally between the planar InAsSb NWs and the p-type Si substrates. The results presented here could open up a new route way to fabricate highly integrated III-V nanodevices.
Keywords: CAFM; HRTEM; InAsSb; Planar nanowire; growth direction.