Investigation of GaSb Microislands Deposited on Si Substrates with Ag Nanoparticles

We report our investigation of GaSb islands grown on Si substrates using the thermal evaporation method with Ag nanoparticles as catalysts. The size of the structures was determined via atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. GaSb islands, with an average size of 1.37 ± 1 μm, were formed at an evaporation temperature of 800 °C. X-ray diffraction spectra confirm that the islands are single crystals with a (111) crystallographic orientation, further supported by Raman spectroscopy. Photoluminescence spectra at 80 K include contributions from both band-to-band transitions and transitions related to Ag acceptors. The photoresponse observed through surface photovoltage spectroscopy originates from both GaSb microstructures and free Si surface regions.