Crystallographic structure of InAs nanowires studied by transmission electron microscopy

Crystallographic structure of InAs nanowires, which were grown by selective-area metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on (111)B-oriented substrates, was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM images showed that the nanowires had many stacking faults along the growth direction. Statistical analysis of the atomic-layer stacking showed that InAs nanowires contained both zincblende and wurtzite crystal phases, whose transition took place in every one to three monolayers. This specific crystal phase transition resulted in peculiar electron diffraction patterns. The stacking of the atomic layers had no distinct correlation with the diameter of the nanowires.