High-quality heteroepitaxial two-dimensional (2D) InSb layers are very difficult to realize because of the large lattice mismatch with other widespread semiconductor substrates. A way around this problem is to grow free-standing 2D InSb nanostructures on nanowire (NW) stems, thanks to the capability of NWs to efficiently relax elastic strain along the sidewalls when lattice-mismatched semiconductor systems are integrated. In this work, we optimize the morphology of free-standing 2D InSb nanoflags (NFs). In particular, robust NW stems, optimized growth parameters, and the use of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) to precisely orient the substrate for preferential growth are implemented to increase the lateral size of the 2D InSb NFs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of these NFs reveals defect-free zinc blend crystal structure, stoichiometric composition, and relaxed lattice parameters. The resulting NFs are large enough to fabricate Hall-bar contacts with suitable length-to-width ratio enabling precise electrical characterization. An electron mobility of ∼29 500 cm2/(V s) is measured, which is the highest value reported for free-standing 2D InSb nanostructures in literature. We envision the use of 2D InSb NFs for fabrication of advanced quantum devices.
© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.