Dynamic Process of Phase Transition from Wurtzite\nto Zinc Blende Structure in InAs Nanowires

Abstract

In\nsitu high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed\nthe precipitation of the zinc-blende (ZB) structure InAs at the liquid/solid\ninterface or liquid/solid/amorphous carbon triple point at high temperature.\nSubsequent to its precipitation, detailed analysis demonstrates unique\nsolid to solid wurtzite (WZ) to ZB phase transition through gliding\nof sharp steps with Shockley partial dislocations. The most intriguing\nphenomenon was that each step is 6 {111} atomic layers high and the\nstep migrated without any mechanical stress applied. We believe that\nthis is the first direct <i>in situ</i> observation of WZ–ZB\ntransition in semiconductor nanowires. A model was proposed in which\nthree Shockley partial dislocations collectively glide on every two\n{0001} planes (corresponds to six atomic planes in an unit). The collective\nglide mechanism does not need any applied shear stress.