Growth of GaAs nanowires using different Au catalysts

Two different Au catalysts were used to grow GaAs epitaxial nanowires on GaAs (111)B substrates. Detailed investigations have shown that using Au thin film and annealing technique, it is possible to achieve nanowire growth with much higher density comparing to using Au nanoparticles. It is found that the tapering and lattice defects normally observed in nanowires induced by Au nanoparticles were reduced in the nanowires induced by the Au thin film.