Transition from elastic to plastic strain release in coreshell nanowires revealed by in-plane x-ray diffraction

We investigate the strain evolution and relaxation process as function of increasing lattice mismatch between the GaAs core and surrounding In _x Ga_1-x As shell in core-shell nanowire heterostructures grown on Si(111) substrates. The dimensions of the core and shell are kept constant whereas the indium concentration inside the shell is varied. Measuring the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in-plane Bragg reflections normal to the …