Dynamic process of phase transition from wurtzite to zinc blende structure in InAs nanowires

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