Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images and selected area electron diffraction pattern showed that the one-dimensional GaN nanorods with [0001]-oriented single-crystalline wurzite structures were formed on Si (111) substrates by using hydride vapor-phase epitaxy without a catalyst. Although some stacking faults and inversion domain boundaries existed in the GaN nanorods, few other defects such as threading dislocations were observed. The formation of the facet plane in the N-polar region of the GaN nanorod containing an inversion domain boundary originated from the slow growth rate, followed by the lateral adatom diffusion from the Ga-polar region to reduce the length difference.