Catalytic growth of CdTe nanowires by closed space sublimation method

CdTe nano-/micro-structures with various morphologies were grown by using the closed space sublimation (CSS) method on a sapphire substrate by Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. Length, diameter, and morphology of the CdTe nano-/micro-structures depended on the growth time and temperature gradient between the substrate and powdered CdTe source. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that an Au catalyst droplet existed at the tips of CdTe nanowires, which confirms that CdTe nanowires were grown by an Au-catalyzed VLS mechanism. Also, we observed that the two-dimensional CdTe film layer initially formed before the growth of the CdTe nano-/micro-wires. The optical and structural properties of CdTe nano-/micro-structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction technique and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Our study demonstrates that diverse CdTe nano-/micro-structures can be fabricated by using Au-catalyzed VLS growth process in a simple CSS chamber by controlling the temperature gradient and growth time.