GaAs quantum dots in nanowires are one of the most promising candidates for scalable quantum photonics. They have excellent optical properties, can be frequency-tuned to atomic transitions, and offer a robust platform for fabrication of multi-qubit devices that promise to unlock the full technological potential of quantum dots. Coherent resonant excitation is necessary for virtually any practical application because it allows, for instance, for on-demand generation of single and entangled photons, photonic clusters states, and electron spin manipulation. However, emission from nanowire structures under this excitation scheme has never been demonstrated. Here we show, for the first time, biexciton–exciton cascaded emission via resonant two-photon excitation and resonance fluorescence from an epitaxially grown GaAs quantum dot in an AlGaAs nanowire. We also report that resonant excitation schemes, combined with above-bandgap excitation, can be used to clean and enhance the emission of nanowire quantum dots.

InGaN nanostructures are among the most promising candidates for visible solid-state lighting and renewable energy sources. To date, there is still a lack of information about the influence of the growth conditions on the physical properties of these nanostructures. Here, we extend the study of InGaN nanowires growth directly on Si substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The results of the study showed that under appropriate growth conditions a change in the growth temperature of just 10 °C leads to a significant change in the structural and optical properties of the nanowires. InGaN nanowires with the areas containing 4%–10% of In with increasing tendency towards the top are formed at the growth temperature of 665 °C, while at the growth temperatures range of 655 °C–660 °C the spontaneously core–shell NWs are typically presented. In the latter case, the In contents in the core and the shell are about an order of magnitude different (e.g. 35% and 4% for 655 °C, respectively). The photoluminescence study of the NWs demonstrates a shift in the spectra from blue to orange in accordance with an increase of In content. Based on these results, a novel approach to the monolithic growth of In _x Ga _{1− x} N NWs with multi-colour light emission on Si substrates by setting a temperature gradient over the substrate surface is proposed.

Tailorable synthesis of axially heterostructured epitaxial nanowires (NWs) with a proper choice of materials allows for the fabrication of novel photonic devices, such as a nanoemitter in the resonant cavity. An example of the structure is a GaP nanowire with ternary GaPAs insertions in the form of nano-sized discs studied in this work. With the use of the micro-photoluminescence technique and numerical calculations, we experimentally and theoretically study photoluminescence emission in individual heterostructured NWs. Due to the high refractive index and near-zero absorption through the emission band, the photoluminescence signal tends to couple into the nanowire cavity acting as a Fabry–Perot resonator, while weak radiation propagating perpendicular to the nanowire axis is registered in the vicinity of each nano-sized disc. Thus, within the heterostructured nanowire, both amplitude and spectrally anisotropic photoluminescent signals can be achieved. Numerical modeling of the nanowire with insertions emitting in infrared demonstrates a decay in the emission directivity and simultaneous rise of the emitters coupling with an increase in the wavelength. The emergence of modulated and non-modulated radiation is discussed, and possible nanophotonic applications are considered.

GaN nanowires were grown using selective area plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on SiO_x/Si(111) substrates patterned with microsphere lithography. For the first time, the temperature–Ga/N₂ flux ratio map was established for selective area epitaxy of GaN nanowires. It is shown that the growth selectivity for GaN nanowires without any parasitic growth on a silica mask can be obtained in a relatively narrow range of substrate temperatures and Ga/N₂ flux ratios. A model was developed that explains the selective growth range, which appeared to be highly sensitive to the growth temperature and Ga flux, as well as to the radius and pitch of the patterned pinholes. High crystal quality in the GaN nanowires was confirmed through low-temperature photoluminescence measurements.

Research regarding ways to increase solar cell efficiency is in high demand. Mechanical deformation of a nanowire (NW) solar cell can improve its efficiency. Here, the effect of uniaxial compression on GaAs nanowire solar cells was studied via conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) supported by numerical simulation. C-AFM I–V curves were measured for wurtzite p-GaAs NW grown on p-Si substrate. Numerical simulations were performed considering piezoresistance and piezoelectric effects. Solar cell efficiency reduction of 50% under a −0.5% strain was observed. The analysis demonstrated the presence of an additional fixed electrical charge at the NW/substrate interface, which was induced due to mismatch between the crystal lattices, thereby affecting the efficiency. Additionally, numerical simulations regarding the p-n GaAs NW solar cell under uniaxial compression were performed, showing that solar efficiency could be controlled by mechanical deformation and configuration of the wurtzite and zinc blende p-n segments in the NW. The relative solar efficiency was shown to be increased by 6.3% under −0.75% uniaxial compression. These findings demonstrate a way to increase efficiency of GaAs NW-based solar cells via uniaxial mechanical compression.

We propose a new insight into the mechanism of low-temperature Au-assisted growth of InAs nanowires during molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The nanowire MBE growth was achieved at a temperature of 270 °C on both Si(111) and SiC/Si(111) substrates. A special procedure of substrate preparation was used to obtain a high yield of nanowires grown perpendicularly to the substrate. The morphology of the InAs nanowire array was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealing a significantly higher percentage of vertical InAs nanowires compared with previous works. The structural properties of nanowires and the catalyst composition were investigated by analytical methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A theoretical assessment of the growth of InAs nanowires in the frame of the classical nucleation theory has shown the possibility of vapor–solid–solid growth at extremely low temperature, e.g., at 270 °C. It was found that the presence of elastic stresses due to the lattice mismatch between the solid catalyst particle and the nanowire material influences the nanowire growth rate. This important feature of nucleation in solid in the case of vapor–solid–solid growth of III–V nanowires was investigated for the first time. Also, we have shown that the material transport of arsenic towards the interface between the catalyst particle and the nanowire top limits the nanowire growth rate. Further development of the low-temperature growth methods facilitates the integration of III–V semiconductors with silicon electronics.