  Doping of III-nitride based compound semiconductor nanowires is still a
challenging issue to have a control over the dopant distribution in precise
locations of the nanowire optoelectronic devices. Knowledge of the dopant
incorporation and its pathways in nanowires for such devices is limited by the
growth methods. We report the direct evidence of incorporation pathway for Mg
dopants in p-type nonpolar GaN nanowires grown via vapour-liquid-solid (VLS)
method in a chemical vapour deposition technique for the first time. Mg
incorporation is confirmed using X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and electron energy
loss spectroscopic (EELS) measurements. Energy filtered transmission electron
microscopic (EFTEM) studies are used for finding the Mg incorporation pathway
in the GaN nanowire. Photoluminescence studies on Mg doped GaN nanowires along
with the electrical characterization on heterojunction formed between nanowires
and n-Si confirm the activation of Mg atoms as p-type dopants in nonpolar GaN
nanowires.
