In situ analysis of catalyst composition during gold catalyzed GaAs nanowire growth.

Semiconductor nanowires offer the opportunity to incorporate novel structures and functionality into electronic and optoelectronic devices. A clear understanding of the nanowire growth mechanism is essential for well-controlled growth of structures with desired properties, but the understanding is currently limited by a lack of empirical measurements of important parameters during growth, such as catalyst particle composition. However, this is difficult to accurately determine by investigating post-growth. We report direct in situ measurement of the catalyst composition during nanowire growth for the first time. We study Au-seeded GaAs nanowires inside an electron microscope as they grow and measure the catalyst composition using X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The Ga content in the catalyst during growth increases with both temperature and Ga precursor flux.