Growth kinetics of a single InP1-xAsx nanowire

Semiconductor nanowires offer additional properties and more flexibility for many potential applications. However the precise control of their growth is very challenging and much more complex than for two-dimensional layers. Here, we present a method which provides detailed information on their formation. The method is implemented with In(P,As) nanowires grown by Au-catalyzed molecular beam epitaxy. Controlled and periodic modulations of the incident vapor phase are generated. Due to these modulations, the nanowires show small and short oscillations of composition along their growth axis. These oscillations furnish a time scale which is recorded in the nanowire solid phase. The instantaneous growth rate and the total length of the nanowire at any time of the growth are accessible. The experimental data are fitted with models. The adatom diffusion lengths on the different surfaces and the chemical potentials in the adsorbed and liquid phases are extracted. It appears that the vapor flux intercepted by the nanowire sidewalls is the dominant contribution to their elongation. We discuss which contribution allows one initiating their growth from the catalyst drop.