Growth of germanium nanowires with isobuthyl germane

We demonstrate the feasibility of the use of isobutyl germane, a novel germanium source, for the vapor–liquid–solid growth of germanium nanowires (NWs) on Si (111) substrates, using a thin gold layer as catalyst. The density and the diameter of the NWs were controlled by varying the Au layer thickness and the isobutyl germane flow. The NWs grow along (111) directions and show perfect crystallinity and lengths from several hundreds of nm to 3–4 μm. The use of isobutyl germane gives a considerable technological advantage in the growth of germanium NWs since it is a safer and more manageable germanium source and it allows to grow Ge NWs in a standard vapor phase epitaxy system at 400 °C. (paper)