Formation of nanowhiskers on a substrate of dissimilar material

A method for forming a nanowhisker having at least a base portion of a first semiconductor material including a combination of at least two elements, on a substrate of a Group IV second material, comprising:

• providing a substrate of said second material, wherein a surface of said substrate is prepared to remove impurities and to provide an atomically flat growth region;
• providing a catalytic particle on said growth region;
• and
• growing the nanowhisker on said growth region via said catalytic particle.

A method for forming a nanowhisker, having at least a base portion of a III-V semiconductor first material, on a substrate of a second Group IV second material, comprising:

• providing a substrate of said second material having a surface that is prepared to remove impurities and to provide an atomically flat growth region;
• providing a catalytic particle on said growth region;
• and
• growing the nanowhisker on said growth region via said catalytic particle.

A method for forming a nanowhisker, having at least a base portion of a crystalline first material, on a substrate of a second material different from said first material, comprising:

• providing a catalytic particle on a growth region of a substrate of said second material;
• and
• growing the nanowhisker on said growth region via said catalytic particle,
• wherein said substrate is prepared such that an interface between said catalytic particle and said growth region is of a character that only a single-domain of said crystalline first material is formed at the interface when growing the nanowhisker.

A method for forming a nanowhisker, having at least a base portion of a crystalline first material, on a substrate of a second material different from said first material, comprising:

• providing a catalytic particle on a growth region of a substrate of said second material;
• and
• growing the nanowhisker on said growth region via said catalytic particle,
• wherein the substrate is prepared such that the growth region is of a character to enable nucleation conditions that lead to a single nucleus from which the nanowhisker nucleates and grows.