III-V semiconductor nanowires: Plasmonics and optoelectronics

III-V semiconductor nanowires are photonic waveguides with nanometer sized cross-sections with potential for controlling semiconductor-light interaction in ways not possible with conventional planar configurations; and thus opening opportunities for efficient and novel optoelectronic devices. Nanowires are highly anisotropic structures with base dimensions of a few 10s of nanometers and length of a few 100 nanometers to a few microns. The shape anisotropy results in large free surface areas that may degrade the optoelectronic quality of the nanowires. This article discusses approaches to mitigate the effect of free surfaces on nanowire optoelectronic quality and use them for efficient optoelectronic devices by exploiting their ability to strongly confine and guide light.