Polarity-driven nonuniform composition in InGaAs nanowires.

Manipulating the composition and morphology of semiconductor nanowires in a precisely controlled fashion is critical in developing nanowire devices. This is particularly true for ternary III-V nanowires. Many studies have shown the complexities within those nanowires. Here we report our findings of compositional irregularity in the shells of core-shell InGaAs nanowires with zinc-blende structure. Such an effect is caused by the crystal polarity within III-V zinc-blende lattice and the one-dimensional nature of nanowires that allows the formation of opposite polar surfaces simultaneously on the nanowire sidewalls. This polarity-driven effect in III-V nanowires may be utilized in manipulating the composition and morphology of III-V nanowires for device applications.