Role of liquid indium in the structural purity of wurtzite InAs nanowires that grow on Si(111)

Biermanns, A.*; Dimakis, E.*; Davydok, A.*; Sasaki, Takuo; Geelhaar, L.*; Takahashi, Masamitsu; Pietsch, U.*

The dynamic relation between the growth conditions and the structural composition of the catalyst-free InAs nanowires was investigated using time-resolved X-ray scattering and diffraction measurements during the growth by molecular beam epitaxy. A spontaneous build-up of liquid indium is directly observed in the beginning of the growth process and associated with the simultaneous nucleation of InAs nanowires predominantly in the wurtzite phase. After their nucleation, the nanowires grow in the absence of liquid indium, and with a highly defective wurtzite structure. A pathway to pure wurtzite nanowires is presented through this work.