Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
We investigated the morphological evolution of InSb grown on InAs (001) substrates (lattice mismatch = 6.9%) as a function of film thickness. Due to the very large lattice mismatch, growth proceeded via the Volmer-Weber mode. The morphological evolution of highly strained InSb films proceeds through several regimes as a function of thickness. The films initially nucleate isolated 3D islands even in the earliest stages of growth. The islands then coarsen and coalesce at slightly higher thicknesses, with some evidence of cooperative nucleation, or the sequential nucleation of islands and pits. Once the islands coalesce, the morphology evolves into long ridges aligned along the [110], however, those films are still discontinuous. At a thickness =100nm, the films finally become completely continuous and 2D growth proceeds via step flow of growth spirals present on the surface.