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Typically, core–shell–shell semiconductor nanowires (NWs) made from III–V materials with low lattice mismatch grow pseudomorphically along the growth axis, i.e. the axial lattice parameters of the core and shell materials are the same. Therefore, both the structural composition and interface strain of the NWs are encoded along directions perpendicular to the growth axis. Owing to fluctuations in the supplied growth species during molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth, structural parameters such as local shell thickness, composition and strain may differ between NWs grown onto the same substrate. This requires structural analysis of single NWs instead of measuring NW ensembles. In this work, the complete structure of single GaAs/(In,Ga)As/GaAs core–shell–shell NW heterostructures is determined by means of X-ray nanodiffraction using synchrotron radiation. The NWs were grown by MBE on a prepatterned silicon (111) substrate with a core diameter of 50 nm and an (In,Ga)As shell thickness of 20 nm with a nominal indium concentration of 15%, capped by a 30 nm GaAs outer shell. In order to access single NWs with the X-ray nanobeam being incident parallel to the surface of the substrate, a single row of holes with a separation of 10 µm was defined by electron-beam lithography to act as nucleation centres for MBE NW growth. These well separated NWs were probed sequentially by X-ray nanodiffraction, recording three-dimensional reciprocal-space maps of Bragg reflections with scattering vectors parallel (out-of-plane) and perpendicular (in-plane) to the NW growth axis. From the out-of-plane 111 Bragg reflection, deviations from hexagonal symmetry were derived, together with the diameters of probed NWs grown under the same conditions. The radial NW composition and interface strain became accessible when measuring the two-dimensional scattering intensity distributions of the in-plane 2{\overline 2}0 and 22{\overline 4} reflections, exhibiting well pronounced thickness fringes perpendicular to the NW side planes (truncation rods, TRs). Quantitative values of thickness, composition and strain acting on the (In,Ga)As and GaAs shells were obtained via finite-element modelling of the core–shell–shell NWs and subsequent Fourier transform, simulating the TRs measured along the three different directions of the hexagonally shaped NWs simultaneously. Considering the experimental constraints of the current experiment, thicknesses and In content have been evaluated with uncertainties of ±2 nm and ±0.01, respectively. Comparing data taken from different single NWs, the shell thicknesses differ from one to another.

We present the results of the study of the correlation between the electrical and structural properties of individual GaAs nanowires measured in their as-grown geometry. The resistance and the effective charge carrier mobility were extracted for several nanowires, and subsequently, the same nano-objects were investigated using X-ray nanodiffraction. This revealed a number of perfectly stacked zincblende and twinned zincblende units separated by axial interfaces. Our results suggest a correlation between the electrical parameters and the number of intrinsic interfaces.

The crystalline structure of single free-standing GaAs nanowires, grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a GaAs substrate at specific positions defined by focused ion beams, and the substrate regions close to the Au-implanted regions are investigated through grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction., Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction measurements on single GaAs nanowires (NWs) grown on a (111)-oriented GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy are reported. The positions of the NWs are intentionally determined by a direct implantation of Au with focused ion beams. This controlled arrangement in combination with a nanofocused X-ray beam allows the in-plane lattice parameter of single NWs to be probed, which is not possible for randomly grown NWs. Reciprocal space maps were collected at different heights along the NW to investigate the crystal structure. Simultaneously, substrate areas with different distances from the Au-implantation spots below the NWs were probed. Around the NWs, the data revealed a 0.4% decrease in the lattice spacing in the substrate compared with the expected unstrained value. This suggests the presence of a compressed region due to Au implantation.

Applied physics letters 102, 043109 (2013). doi:10.1063/1.4790185, Published by American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY

InAs segments were grown on top of GaAs islands, initially created by droplet epitaxy on silicon substrate. We systematically explored the growth-parameter space for the deposition of InAs, identifying the conditions for the selective growth on GaAs and for purely axial growth. The axial InAs segments were formed with their sidewalls rotated by 30° compared to the GaAs base islands underneath. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments revealed that the InAs segments are grown relaxed on top of GaAs, with a predominantly zincblende crystal structure and stacking faults.