Correlated X-Ray and Electron Microscopies of a Single Biphasic GaAs Nanowire

Engineering the properties of semiconductors by changing their crystalline phase is a technologically and economically relevant alternative to doping using foreign elements, with strong potential for photonic and electronic applications. Although major advances have been reported recently for crystal-phase engineering of III-V and group IV semiconductor nanowires, interfacing two mismatched crystalline phases in a nanostructure induces several deformation mechanisms, which remain largely unexplored. Here, using state-of-the-art synchrotron X-ray nanobeam diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, subtle twisting and bending is unveiled within an individual GaAs nanowire containing cubic and hexagonal segments. Their role is discussed in accommodating the inter-reticular spacing fluctuations, and their variations are correlated to the nanoscale phase distribution and to the effect of the NW support. This study brings direct evidence of a complex combination of deformation mechanisms in biphasic nanowires, which opens a new path to tune the nanowire properties with appealing perspectives for device engineering in nanophotonics and nanomechanics.