Properties of semiconductor GaAs nanoparticles, synthesized by combination of mechanical milling methods and chemical etching

Abstract

The results of realization of the method for obtaining A3B5 nanoparticles with the help of ball-milling and additional liquid-phase etching of the single-crystal material are presented in the article. The conditions for liquid chemical etching of powders of A3B5-type semiconductors (GaAs), which based on the classical technique for polishing the semiconductor surface with a peroxide-ammonia mixture were studied. The dependence of the etching rate on the time and the use of surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) were investigated to control the etch rate and nanoparticle sizes. The size distribution and chemical composition of the obtained nanoparticles were studied using scanning electron microscopy (BSE, EDX). This research has shown that nanoparticles A3B5, obtained by this method, have sizes from 2-5 nm, suitable for the synthesis of semiconductor quantum dots.