  Here we report on non-uniform shell growth of In(x)Ga(1-x)As onto GaAs
nanowire (NW) core by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The growth was realized on
pre-patterned silicon substrates with pitch size (p) ranging from 0.1 um to 10
um. Considering the preferable bending direction with respect to the MBE cells
as well as the layout of the substrate pattern, we are able to modify the
strain distribution along the NW growth axis and the subsequent bending
profile. For NW arrays with high number density, the obtained bending profile
of the NWs is composed of straight (barely-strained) and bent (strained)
segments with different lengths which depend on the pitch size. A precise
control of the bent and straight NW segment length provides a recipe to design
NW based devices with length selective strain distribution.
