Droplet dynamics in controlled InAs nanowire interconnections.

Semiconductor nanowires offer a versatile platform for the fabrication of new nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. These devices will require a high level of control of the nanowire position in relation to both other components of the device and to other nanowires. We demonstrate unprecedented control of the position of InAs nanowires using selective-area vapor-liquid-solid epitaxy (VLS) on an InP ridge template. The high level of control allows us to design structures which connect individual nanowires through coalescence of their catalyst particles. The interconnection process acts as a perturbation to the geometry of the nanowire system that can contribute to the understanding of droplet dynamics in VLS growth. Postgrowth imaging reveals a complex sequence of droplet configurations, including predicted geometries that have not previously been observed.