Electromagnetic Nanocoils Based on InGaN Nanorings

Energy issues, including energy generation, conversion, transmission and detection, are fundamental factors in all systems. In micro- and nanosystems, dealing with these energy issues requires novel nanostructures and precise technology. However, both concept and setup are not well established yet in the microsystems, especially for those in nanometer scale. Here we demonstrate electromagnetic nanocoils with 100 nanometers in diameter based on uniform and periodic InGaN nanoring arrays grown on patterned GaN surfaces by Nanoscale Selective Area Epitaxy (NSAE). We observed stronger photoluminescence from the periodic InGaN nanoring arrays compared to nonuniform InGaN nanorings, which indicates a good crystal quality of the InGaN nanostructure by the NSAE. Based on this kind of nanostructure, electromagnetic induction from the nanorings is detected from the movement of refractive high-energy electron diffraction patterns in a modulated external magnetic field. Our results clearly show the generation of inductive current and internal magnetic field in the nanorings. We anticipate this kind of nanostructure to be a potential key element for energy conversion, transfer and detection in nanosystems. For example, it could be used to fabricate microtransformers and micro- & nanosensors for electromagnetic signals.