Self-Catalytic Growth of β-Ga₂O₃Nanowires Deposited by Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

We report the growth behavior of β-Ga2O3 nanowires (NWs) on sapphire (0001) substrates during radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Upon fabrication, flat thin films grew initially, subsequent to which, NW bundles were formed on the surface of the thin film with increasing film thickness. This transition of the growth mode occurred only at temperatures greater than ∼450 °C. The β-Ga2O3 NWs were grown through the self-catalytic vapor–liquid–solid mechanism with self-assembled Ga seeds. Secondary growth of NWs, which occurred from the sides of primary NWs resulting in branched NW structures, was also observed. Finally, the photoluminescence properties of as-grown and annealed β-Ga2O3 NW samples were investigated.