Growth Mechanism and Properties of Self-Assembled InN Nanocolumns on Al Covered Si(111) Substrates by PA-MBE.

Self-assembled InN nanocolumns were grown at low temperatures by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy with a high crystalline quality. The self-assembling procedure was carried out on AlN/Al layers on Si(111) substrates avoiding the masking process. The Al interlayer on the Si(111) substrate prevented the formation of amorphous SiN. We found that the growth mechanism at 400 ∘ C of InN nanocolumns started by a layer-layer (2D) nucleation, followed by the growth of 3D islands. This growth mechanism promoted the nanocolumn formation without strain. The nanocolumnar growth proceeded with cylindrical and conical shapes with heights between 250 and 380 nm. Detailed high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the InN nanocolumns have a hexagonal crystalline structure, free of dislocation and other defects. The analysis of the phonon modes also allowed us to identify the hexagonal structure of the nanocolumns. In addition, the photoluminescence spectrum showed an energy transition of 0.72 eV at 20 K for the InN nanocolumns, confirmed by photoreflectance spectroscopy.

Fabrication and Optical Properties of Strain-free Self-assembled Mesoscopic GaAs Structures.

We use a combined process of Ga-assisted deoxidation and local droplet etching to fabricate unstrained mesoscopic GaAs/AlGaAs structures exhibiting a high shape anisotropy with a length up to 1.2 µm and a width of 150 nm. We demonstrate good controllability over size and morphology of the mesoscopic structures by tuning the growth parameters. Our growth method yields structures, which are coupled to a surrounding quantum well and present unique optical emission features. Microscopic and optical analysis of single structures allows us to demonstrate that single structure emission originates from two different confinement regions, which are spectrally separated and show sharp excitonic lines. Photoluminescence is detected up to room temperature making the structures the ideal candidates for strain-free light emitting/detecting devices.

Anisotropic Confinement, Electronic Coupling and Strain Induced Effects Detected by Valence-Band Anisotropy in Self-Assembled Quantum Dots.

A method to determine the effects of the geometry and lateral ordering on the electronic properties of an array of one-dimensional self-assembled quantum dots is discussed. A model that takes into account the valence-band anisotropic effective masses and strain effects must be used to describe the behavior of the photoluminescence emission, proposed as a clean tool for the characterization of dot anisotropy and/or inter-dot coupling. Under special growth conditions, such as substrate temperature and Arsenic background, 1D chains of In0.4Ga0.6 As quantum dots were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction measurements directly evidence the strong strain anisotropy due to the formation of quantum dot chains, probed by polarization-resolved low-temperature photoluminescence. The results are in fair good agreement with the proposed model.