Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
Silicon Nanowires and Optical Stimulation for Investigations of Intra- and Intercellular Electrical Coupling
Published on: January 28, 2021
An investigation into the conversion of In2O3 into InN nanowires
Polina Papageorgiou1, Matthew Zervos, Andreas Othonos
1Nanostructured Materials and Devices Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science Group, School of Engineering, University of Cyprus, P,O, Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus. zervos@ucy.ac.cy.
Abstract:
Straight In2O3 nanowires (NWs) with diameters of 50 nm and lengths ≥2 μm have been grown on Si(001) via the wet oxidation of In at 850°C using Au as a catalyst. These exhibited clear peaks in the X-ray diffraction corresponding to the body centred cubic crystal structure of In2O3 while the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum at 300 K consisted of two broad peaks, centred around 400 and 550 nm. The post-growth nitridation of In2O3 NWs was systematically investigated by varying the nitridation temperature between 500 and 900°C, flow of NH3 and nitridation times between 1 and 6 h. The NWs are eliminated above 600°C while long nitridation times at 500 and 600°C did not result into the efficient conversion of In2O3 to InN. We find that the nitridation of In2O3 is effective by using NH3 and H2 or a two-step temperature nitridation process using just NH3 and slower ramp rates. We discuss the nitridation mechanism and its effect on the PL.
