Fabrication of needle-shaped GaN nanowires by ammoniating Ga2O3 films on MgO layers deposited on Si (111) substrates

Needle-shaped GaN nanowires have been synthesized on Si (111) substrate through ammoniating Ga2O3/MgO films under flowing ammonia atmosphere at the temperature of 950 °C. The as-synthesized GaN nanowires were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results demonstrate that these nanowires are hexagonal GaN and possess a smooth surface with an average diameter about 200 nm and a length ranging from 5 μm to 15 μm. In addition, the diameters of these nanowires diminish gradually. The growth mechanism of crystalline GaN nanowires is discussed briefly.