Lévy-type complex diameter modulation in semiconductor nanowire growth

We have observed a non-periodic diameter modulation in SiC nanowire growth. The modulation was tentatively attributed to a stick-slip motion in a self-organized vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth, and was characterized by methods of time-series analysis. From the power-law decay behavior of a fat tail of the probability distribution of increments with the exponent 2.1±0.2, the modulation was interpreted as a Lévy flight. The degree of determinism is also discussed.