Evolution of structural and optical properties of ion-beam synthesized GaAsN nanostructures.

We have investigated the evolution of structural and optical properties of GaAsN nanostructures synthesized by N ion implantation into epitaxial GaAs, followed by rapid thermal annealing. Transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction indicate the formation of nanometer-sized crystallites with lattice parameters close to those of pure zincblende GaN. The average crystallite size increases with annealing temperature while the size distribution is self-similar and the volume fraction remains constant, suggesting a coarsening process governed by Ostwald ripening. These GaAsN nanostructures exhibit significant photoluminescence in the near infrared range. The apparent lowering of the fundamental band gap is likely due to the incorporation of a small amount of As in GaN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]