Geometric Nanophotonics: Light Management in Single Nanowires through Morphology

ConspectusComprehensive control of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale is increasingly important for the development of miniaturized light-based technologies that have applications ranging from information processing to sensing. Control of light in nanoscale structures—the realm of nanophotonics—requires precise control of geometry on a few-nanometer length scale. From a chemist’s perspective, bottom-up growth of nanoscale materials from chemical precursors offers a unique opportunity to design structures atom-by-atom that exhibit desired properties. In this Account, we describe our efforts to create chemically and morphologically precise Si nanowires (NWs) with designed nanophotonic properties using a vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth process. A synthetic technique termed “Encoded Nanowire Growth and Appearance through VLS and Etching” (ENGRAVE) combines optimized VLS growth, dopant modulation, and dopant-dependent wet-chemical etching to produce NWs with precisely designed diameter modulations, yie...