Strain relaxation in InAs/InGaAs/InP nanowires was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed an additional stress field which was attributed to compositional modulation in the ternary layer, which disrupted nanowire formation and drove Ga interdiffusion into InAs, according to grazing incidence X-ray diffraction under anomalous scattering conditions. The strain profile along the nanowire, however, was not significantly affected when interdiffusion was considered. Results showed that the InAs nanowire energetic stability was preserved with the introduction of ternary buffer layer in the structure.

Strain Relaxation and Stress-Driven Interdiffusion in InAs/InGaAs/InP Nanowires. L.Nieto, J.R.R.Bortoleto, M.A.Cotta, R.Magalhães-Paniago,  H.R.Gutiérrez: Applied Physics Letters, 2007, 91[6], 063122