Catalyst free self-assembled growth of InN nanorings on stepped Si (5 5 3) surface

Highlights: • Novel technique to synthesis self-assembled InN nanorings by low energy N. • Anisotropic strain relaxation driven self-assembly lead to formation of nanorings. • Strong downward band bending in VB-spectra signify large electron accumulation. - Abstract: A novel technique for synthesis of high crystalline quality self-assembled InN nanorings, by nitriding the bulk deposited In/Si (5 5 3)-1 × 4 system using low energy N₂⁺ ions at 520 °C, has been demonstrated. Scanning electron microscopy images reveal the formation of ring shaped InN structures with average size ∼500 nm. Anisotropic strain relaxation via self assembly could be the driving force for the formation of these InN rings on reconstructed Si (5 5 3) surface. High resolution X-ray diffraction analysis indicates high crystalline quality of these wurtzite InN nanostructures with c-plane. A strong downward band bending was observed in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy valence band spectra which signify the large electron accumulation in the InN nanostructures