High-quality InP nanoneedles grown on silicon

In this letter, we report the growth of self-assembled, catalyst-free InP nanoneedles on Si substrate by low-temperature metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. With a characteristic core-shell growth mode, the nanostructure size is scalable with growth time, and InP/InGaAs/InP double-heterostructure is demonstrated. Single crystalline wurtzite InP nanoneedles essentially free of stacking faults and polytypism are achieved. The internal quantum efficiency of as-grown unpassivated InP nanoneedles can reach as high as 15% at room temperature. Laser oscillation is realized from single InP nanoneedle under optical pump. These promising results reveal the potential of integrating InP nanoneedle optoelectronic devices with traditional silicon.