Tomaš Stankevič

Structural Properties of Wurtzite InP-InGaAs Nanowire Core-Shell Heterostructures

We report on growth and characterization of wurtzite InP-In(1-x)Ga(x)As core-shell nanowire heterostructures. A range of nanowire structures with different Ga concentration in the shell was characterized with transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. We found that the main part of the nanowires has a pure wurtzite crystal structure, with occasional stacking faults occurring only at the top and bottom. This allowed us to determine the structural properties of wurtzite In(1-x)Ga(x)As. The InP-In(1-x)Ga(x)As core-shell nanowires show a triangular and hexagonal facet structure of {1100} and {101̅0} planes. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the core and the shell are pseudomorphic along the c-axis, and the strained axial lattice constant is closer to the relaxed In(1-x)Ga(x)As shell. Microphotoluminescence measurements of the nanowires show emission in the infrared regime, which makes them suitable for applications in optical communication.

Measurement of strain in InGaN/GaN nanowires and nanopyramids

The growth and optoelectronic properties of core-shell nanostructures are influenced by the strain induced by the lattice mismatch between core and shell. In contrast with planar films, nanostructures contain multiple facets that act as independent substrates for shell growth, which enables different relaxation mechanisms. In this study, X-ray diffraction data are presented that show that InGa1-N shells grown on GaN cores are strained along each of the facets independently. Reciprocal space maps reveal multiple Bragg peaks, corresponding to different parts of the shell being strained along the individual facet planes. The strained lattice constants were found from the positions of the Bragg peaks. Vegards law and Hookes law for an anisotropic medium were applied in order to find the composition and strain in the InGaN shells. A range of nanowire samples with different InGaN shell thicknesses were measured and it is concluded that, with an In concentration of around 30%, major strain relaxation takes place when the thickness reaches 23nm. InGaN shells of 6 and 9nm thickness remain nearly fully strained biaxially along each of the facets of the nanowires and the facets of the nanopyramids. (Less)

Strain mapping in an InGaN/GaN nanowire using a nano-focused x-ray beam

Strained InGaN/GaN core-shell nanowires (NWs) are promising candidates for solid state lighting applications due to their superior properties compared to planar films. NW based devices consist of multiple functional layers, which sum up to many hundred nanometers in thickness, that can uniquely be accessed in a non-destructive fashion by hard X-rays. Here, we present a detailed nanoscale strain mapping performed on a single, 400 nm thick and 2 μm long core-shell InGaN/GaN nanowire with an x-ray beam focused down to 100 nm. We observe an inhomogeneous strain distribution caused by the asymmetric strain relaxation in the shell. One side of the InGaN shell was fully strained, whereas the other side and the top part were relaxed. Additionally, tilt and strain gradients were determined at the interface with the substrate.

Fast Strain Mapping of Nanowire Light-Emitting Diodes Using Nanofocused X‑ray Beams

X-ray nanobeams are unique nondestructive probes that allow direct measurements of the nanoscale strain distribution and composition inside the micrometer thick layered structures that are found in most electronic device architectures. However, the method is usually extremely time-consuming, and as a result, data sets are often constrained to a few or even single objects. Here we demonstrate that by special design of a nanofocused X-ray beam diffraction experiment we can (in a single 2D scan with no sample rotation) measure the individual strain and composition profiles of many structures in an array of upright standing nanowires. We make use of the observation that in the generic nanowire device configuration, which is found in high-speed transistors, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes, each wire exhibits very small degrees of random tilts and twists toward the substrate. Although the tilt and twist are very small, they give a new contrast mechanism between different wires. In the present case, we image complex nanowires for nanoLED fabrication and compare to theoretical simulations, demonstrating that this fast method is suitable for real nanostructured devices.

Bragg coherent x-ray diffractive imaging of a single indium phosphide nanowire

Three-dimensional (3D) Bragg coherent x-ray diffractive imaging (CXDI) with a nanofocused beam was applied to quantitatively map the internal strain field of a single indium phosphide nanowire. The quantitative values of the strain were obtained by pre-characterization of the beam profile with transmission ptychography on a test sample. Our measurements revealed the 3D strain distribution in a region of 150 nm below the catalyst Au particle. We observed a slight gradient of the strain in the range of 0.6% along the [111] growth direction of the nanowire. We also determined the spatial resolution in our measurements to be about 10 nm in the direction perpendicular to the facets of the nanowire. The CXDI measurements were compared with the finite element method simulations and show a good agreement with our experimental results. The proposed approach can become an effective tool for in operando studies of the nanowires. (Less)

X-ray Bragg Ptychography on a Single InGaN/GaN Core–Shell Nanowire

The future of solid-state lighting can be potentially driven by applications of InGaN/GaN core-shell nanowires. These heterostructures provide the possibility for fine-tuning of functional properties by controlling a strain state between mismatched layers. We present a nondestructive study of a single 400 nm-thick InGaN/GaN core-shell nanowire using two-dimensional (2D) X-ray Bragg ptychography (XBP) with a nanofocused X-ray beam. The XBP reconstruction enabled the determination of a detailed three-dimensional (3D) distribution of the strain in the particular nanowire using a model based on finite element method. We observed the strain induced by the lattice mismatch between the GaN core and InGaN shell to be in the range from -0.1% to 0.15% for an In concentration of 30%. The maximum value of the strain component normal to the facets was concentrated at the transition region between the main part of the nanowire and the GaN tip. In addition, a variation in misfit strain relaxation between the axial growth and in-plane directions was revealed.

Ptychographical imaging of the phase vortices in the x-ray beam formed by nanofocusing lenses

We present the ptychographical reconstruction of the x-ray beam formed by nanofocusing lenses (NFLs) containing a number of phase singularities (vortices) in the vicinity of the focal plane. As a test object Siemens star pattern was used with the finest features of 50 nm for ptychographical measurements. The extended ptychographical iterative engine (ePIE) algorithm was applied to retrieve both complex illumination and object functions from the set of diffraction patterns. The reconstruction revealed the focus size of 91.4±1.1 nm in horizontal and 70±0.3 nm in vertical direction at full width at half maximum (FWHM). The complex probe function was propagated along the optical axis of the beam revealing the evolution of the phase singularities.

First x-ray nanoimaging experiments at NanoMAX

NanoMAX is a hard x-ray nanoimaging beamline at the new Swedish synchrotron radiation source MAX IV that became operational in 2016. Being a beamline dedicated to x-ray nanoimaging in both 2D and 3D, NanoMAX is the first to take full advantage of MAX IVs exceptional low emittance and resulting coherent properties. We present results from the first experiments at NanoMAX that took place in December 2016. These did not use the final experimental stations that will become available to users, but a temporary arrangement including zone plate and order-sorting aperture stages and a piezo-driven sample scanner. We used zone plates with outermost zone widths of 100 nm and 30 nm and performed experiments at 8 keV photon energy for x-ray absorption and fluorescence imaging and ptychography. Moreover, we investigated stability and coherence with a Ronchi test method. Despite the rather simple setup, we could demonstrate spatial resolution below 50 nm after only a few hours of beamtime. The results showed that the beamline is working as expected and experiments approaching the 10 nm resolution level or below should be possible in the future.

Theoretical analysis of the strain mapping in a single core-shell nanowire by x-ray Bragg ptychography

X-ray Bragg ptychography (XBP) is an experimental technique for high-resolution strain mapping in a single nano- and mesoscopic crystalline structures. In this work we discuss the conditions that allow direct interpretation of the ptychographic reconstructions in terms of the strain distribution obtained from the two dimensional (2D) XBP. Simulations of the 2D XBP experiments under realistic experimental conditions are performed with a model of InGaN/GaN core-shell nanowire with low (1%) and high (30%) Indium concentrations in the shell.

Nanofocused x-ray beams applied for mapping strain in core-shell nanowires

The core-shell nanowires have the promise to become the future building blocks of light emitting diodes, solar cells and quantum computers. The high surface to volume ratio allows efficient elastic strain relaxation, making it possible to combine a wider range of materials into the heterostructures as compared to the traditional, planar geometry. As a result, the strain fields appear in both the core and the shell of the nanowires, which can affect the device properties. The hard x-ray nanoprobe is a tool that enables a nondestructive mapping of the strain and tilt distributions where other techniques cannot be applied. By measuring the positions of the Bragg peaks for each point on the sample we can evaluate the values of local tilt and strain. In this paper we demonstrate the detailed strain mapping of the strained InGaN/GaN core-shell nanowire. We observe an asymmetric strain distribution in the GaN core caused by an uneven shell relaxation. Additionally, we analyzed the local micro-tilt distribution, which shows the edge effects at the top and bottom of the nanowire. The measurements were compared to the finite element modelling and show a good agreement.