Electronic devices produced ​​from semiconductor compounds of III-V group and their solid solutions are coming into increasingly wider practical use. The interest taken in solid solutions is primarily associated with the ability to change band-gap width and other properties, depending on the ratio of binary compounds. Among the existing solid solutions of III-V compounds InAs_1-xSb_x and Ga_xIn_1-xAs solid solutions are considered promising for the needs of the electronics .

The basis for modern electronic devices is formed by the planar technology of semiconductor materials, which is characterized by continuous growth of requirements for the perfection of the crystal structure and uniformity of electrophysical characteristics in the material grown. Planar technologies for obtaining heterostructures imply coherence between substrate and epitaxial layer in terms of the lattice parameter. The limited choice of substrates with different lattice parameters places limits on the potential of planar technology and the possibility of obtaining solid solutions with different compositions. As an alternative to planar technology one may consider the technologies for obtaining semiconductor whiskers from vapour phase that do not require substrates. The technology is based on the transfer of components to the crystal growth area as a result of chemical transport reactions and initiation of crystal growth by the vapour-liquid-crystal mechanism.

The derived technology for obtaining nano- and microwhiskers consists of two stages. In the first stage semiconductor nanowhiskers are formed following the vapour-liquid-crystal mechanism. Here the triggering doping agent for nanowhiskers is gold, which together with the basic material forms a eutectic alloy on nanowhisker tips. Nanowhiskers are obtained in non-equilibrium mode with high oversaturation level, which is required to ensure efficient feed of the eutectic alloy drop with a small radius of curvature in accordance with the Gibbs–Thomson equation.

In the next stage, conditions are created for further growth from nanowhiskers to micron‑diameter whiskers. This process is carried out in a different temperature range and is considerably longer than the previous one. The most important element in the suggested technology is to provide the correct conditions for transition from the first stage to the second stage as throughout this transition process nanowhiskers are selected for further growth to micron sizes. The selection is based on the Oswald ripening mechanism under the conditions of declining oversaturation of vapour phase in the reactor.

The developed technology makes it possible to grow microwhiskers of InAs_1-xSb_x and Ga_xIn_1-xAs solid solutions and provides control over the composition of the compound (parameter x) by changing the ratio of the partial vapour pressures of volatile group five components, which are controlled by the temperature of source area and temperature gradient in the reactor.

The paper presents technological modes for growing microwhiskers of InAs_1-xSb_x and Ga_xIn_1-xAs solid solutions by method of transport reactions with different component compositions. The conducted X-ray diffraction studies of the obtained solid solution microwhiskers showed that the change in lattice parameter of the solid solution depends on the ration of components.

Studies carried out into the electrophysical properties of obtained whiskers have shown that the developed technology for growing solid solution whiskers following the transport reaction method makes it possible to obtain crystals with predetermined parameters, which renders them promising for application as sensing elements in sensors of physical quantities.

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