Comparative study of growth morphologies of Ga2O3 nanowires on different substrates

Abstract

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is a new wide bandgap semiconductor with remarkable properties that offers strong potential for applications in power electronics, optoelectronics, and devices for extreme conditions. In this work, we explore the morphology of Ga2O3 nanostructures on different substrates and temperatures. We used silver catalysts to enhance the growth of Ga2O3 nanowires on substrates such as p-Si substrate doped with boron, 250 nm SiO2 on n-Si, 250 nm Si3N4 on p-Si, quartz, and n-Si substrates by using a thermal oxidation technique at high temperatures (~1000 °C) in the presence of liquid silver paste that served as a catalyst layer. We present the results of the morphological, structural, and elemental characterization of the Ga2O3 nanostructures. This work offers in-depth explanation of the dense, thin, and long Ga2O3 nanowire growth directly on the surfaces of various types of substrates using silver catalysts.