Epitaxial Ge_0.81Sn_0.19 Nanowires for Nanoscale Mid-Infrared Emitters

Highly oriented Ge0.81Sn0.19 nanowires have been synthesized by a low-temperature chemical vapor deposition growth technique. The nanostructures form by a self-seeded vapor–liquid–solid mechanism. In this process, liquid metallic Sn seeds enable the anisotropic crystal growth and act as a sole source of Sn for the formation of the metastable Ge1–xSnx semiconductor material. The strain relaxation for a lattice mismatch of ε = 2.94% between the Ge...