  The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism has been applied extensively as a
framework for growing single-crystal semiconductor nanowires for applications
spanning optoelectronic, sensor and energy-related technologies. Recent
experiments have demonstrated that subtle changes in VLS growth conditions
produce a diversity of nanowire morphologies, and result in intricate kinked
structures that may yield novel properties. These observations have motivated
modeling studies that have linked kinking phenomena to processes at the triple
line between vapor, liquid and solid phases that cause spontaneous "tilting" of
the growth direction. Here we present atomistic simulations and theoretical
analyses that reveal a tilting instability that is intrinsic to nanowire
geometries, even in the absence of pronounced anisotropies in solid-liquid
interface properties. The analysis produces a very simple conclusion: the
transition between axisymmetric and tilted triple lines is shown to occur when
the triple line geometry satisfies Young's force-balance condition. The
intrinsic nature of the instability may have broad implications for the design
of experimental strategies for controlled growth of crystalline nanowires with
complex geometries.
