McMaster-UCA Collaboration in Quantum Nanowires

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This Quantum Catalyst Grant will develop a collaboration between McMaster University (Canada) and Universite Clermont Auvergne (UCA) in France to develop quantum nanowires grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). Semiconductor nanowires are long, thin semiconductor crystals with applications in single photon sources, detectors, topological quantum computing, spin qubits, and other quantum devices. UCA will grow III-V compound semiconductor nanowires (initially, gallium arsenide and indium arsenide) by HVPE without the need for any catalyst or seed particle, thereby avoiding instabilities in current growth methods that lead to poor crystalline and optical quality and hinders device performance. McMaster University will characterize the morphology, crystal structure and optical quality of the nanowires using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and low temperature micro-photoluminescence. A wide range of nanowire growth conditions (temperature, V/III ratio, growth rate, doping) will be assessed to optimize the synthesis of high-quality semiconductor nanostructures. Our collaboration will result in a new paradigm for nanowire growth that addresses the main challenges of quantum device applications: nanowires that are (a) regularly arranged, (b) high aspect ratio, and (c) high crystalline and optical quality. This work is particularly relevant to the development of single photon sources and detectors based on nanowires, which are being developed for secure quantum communications. The knowledge gained from this proposal is expected to improve the performance of these nanowire-based quantum devices and further strengthen Canada's leadership position in this field.