Single crystalline wurzite GaN nanorods are successfully
synthesized on the tantalum catalyzed Si substrate by RF magnetron
sputtering. The products are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD),
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra
(FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron
diffraction (SAED) and photoluminescence (PL). The results show that the
nanorods have a hexagonal wurtzite structure with diameters ranging from 80 to 200 nm and lengths typically up to 10 µm. The PL spectrum exhibits a
strong UV light emission at 364 nm. The growth mechanism of the crystalline
GaN nanorods is discussed briefly.