No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Nanoindentations were created in the GaAs(100) surface to act as strain centers to bias the nucleation of self-assembled InAs quantum dots providing for patterned growth. Indents were generated using loads below 450 μN with a sharp cube corner indenter. Growth of InAs quantum dots on indent patterns is performed using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The effect of indent spacing and size on the patterned growth is investigated. The structural analysis of the quantum dots including spatial ordering, size, and shape are characterized by ex-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results reveal that the indent patterns clearly bias nucleation with dot structures selectively growing on top of each indent. It is speculated that the biased nucleation is due to a combination of favorable surface strain and multi-atomic step formation at the indent sites, which leads to increased adatom diffusion on the patterned area.