Abstract

Semiconductor nanowires exhibit outstanding potential as nano-building blocks for the next generation of electronic devices. Amongst semiconductor nanowires, III –V nanowires, such as GaAs and InP nanowires, are particularly promising for optoelectronic devices, ranging from solar cells to integrated photonic circuits. Arguably the most promising III –V nanowire fabrication technique is metalorganic chemical vapour deposition, using Au nanoparticles to direct anisotropic nanowire growth. This fabrication process enables the growth of novel axial and radial (core–shell) heterostructures, and such heterostructures will underpin future nanowire-based devices. In addition to the ability to fabricate nanowires with high precision, a detailed understanding of the electronic properties of nanowires is imperative for the development of novel nanowire-based devices. As a contact-free method of assessing ultrafast carrier dynamics and transport, terahertz conductivity spectroscopy is ideally suited for electrical characterisation of nanowires. My talk will discuss the growth of novel and complex III –V nanowires, and how terahertz conductivity spectroscopy has revealed the fascinating properties of these nanowires.