Visualizing the Mechanism Switching in High-Temperature Au-Catalyzed InAs Nanowire Growth

We use environmental transmission electron microscopy to observe in situ the switch from an axial vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism in Au-catalyzed InAs nanowires toward a radial vapor-solid (VS) one, dominated by layers nucleating at the triple-phase line. At elevated temperatures, in addition to high V/III ratios, the affinity for In in the Au catalyst will be greater than that of In in InAs, which in turn reduces the driving force and probability for nucleation at the liquid-solid interface. Consequently, with increased temperature, the catalyst particle stops acting as a sink for incoming material and the decomposition of precursors away from the catalyst increases, making radial vapor-solid growth the dominating growth mechanism. It is further observed that the growth proceeds through multistep propagation rather than a layer-by-layer propagation under these conditions.