Selective area growth of N-polar GaN nanorods by plasma-assisted MBE on micro-cone-patterned c-sapphire substrates

The site-controlled selective area growth of N-polar GaN nanorods (NR) was developed by plasma-assisted MBE (PA MBE) on micro-cone-patterned sapphire substrates (µ-CPSS) by using a two-stage growth process. A GaN nucleation layer grown by migration enhanced epitaxy provides the best selectivity for nucleation of NRs on the apexes of 3.5-µm-diameter cones, whereas the subsequent growth of 1-μm-high NRs with a constant diameter of about 100 nm proceeds by standard high-temperature PA MBE at nitrogen-rich conditions. These results are explained by anisotropy of the surface energy for GaN of different polarity and crystal orientation. The InGaN single quantum wells inserted in the GaN NRs grown on the µ-CPSS demonstrate photoluminescence at 510 nm with a spatially periodic variation of its intensity with a period of ∼6 µm equal to that of the substrate patterning profile.