Onset of stacking faults in InP nanowires grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

InP nanowires (NWs) were grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy on InP (111)B substrates, using Au nanoparticles as a growth catalyst. The rod-shaped NWs exhibited hexagonal sidewall facets oriented along the {−211} family of crystal planes for all NW diameters, indicating minimal sidewall growth. Stacking faults, when present, were concentrated near the NW tips, while NWs with lengths less than 300nm were completely free of stacking faults.