The growth of InAs Quantum Dots (QDs) on InP(100) via droplet epitaxy in a Metal Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) reactor is studied. Formation of Indium droplets is investigated with varying substrate temperature, and spontaneous formation of nanoholes is observed for the first time under MOVPE conditions. Indium droplets are crystallized into QDs under Arsenic flow at different temperatures. For temperatures greater than 500ºC, a local etching takes place in the QD vicinity, showing an unexpected morphology which is found to be strongly dependent on the Received: (( ))Revised: (( )) Published online: (( ))

The structural and optical properties of InGaSb/GaP(001) type‐II quantum dots (QDs) grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) are studied. Growth strategies as growth interruption (GRI) after deposition of InGaSb and Sb‐flush prior to QD growth are used to tune the structural and optical properties of InGaSb QDs. The Sb‐flush affects the surface diffusion leading to more homogeneous QDs and to a reduction of defects. A ripening process during GRI occurs, where QD size is increased and QD‐luminescence remarkably improved. InGaSb QDs are embedded in GaP n + p‐diodes, employing an additional AlP barrier, and characterized electrically. A localization energy of 1.15 eV for holes in QDs is measured by using deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). The use of Sb in QD growth is found to decrease the associated QD capture cross‐section by one order of magnitude with respect to the one of In0.5Ga0.5As/GaP QDs. This leads to a hole storage time of almost 1 h at room temperature, which represents to date the record value for MOVPE‐grown QDs, making MOVPE of InGaSb/GaP related QDs a promising technology for QD‐based nano‐memories.

The optical response of (InGa)(AsSb)/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaP (001) substrates is studied by means of excitation and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL), and it is related to their complex electronic structure. Such QDs exhibit concurrently direct and indirect transitions, which allows the swapping of Γ and L quantum confined states in energy, depending on details of their stoichiometry. Based on realistic data on QD structure and composition, derived from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements, simulations by means of k · p theory are performed. The theoretical prediction of both momentum direct and indirect type-I optical transitions are confirmed by the experiments presented here. Additional investigations by a combination of Raman and photoreflectance spectroscopy show modifications of the hydrostatic strain in the QD layer, depending on the sequential addition of QDs and capping layer. A variation of the excitation density across four orders of magnitude reveals a 50 meV energy blueshift of the QD emission. Our findings suggest that the assignment of the type of transition, based solely by the observation of a blueshift with increased pumping, is insufficient. We propose therefore a more consistent approach based on the analysis of the character of the blueshift evolution with optical pumping, which employs a numerical model based on a semi-self-consistent configuration interaction method.

A GaP n+p-diode containing In0.5Ga0.5As quantum dots (QDs) and an AlP barrier is characterized electrically, together with two reference samples: a simple n+p-diode and an n+p-diode with AlP barrier. Localization energy, capture cross-section, and storage time for holes in the QDs are determined using deep-level transient spectroscopy. The localization energy is 1.14(±0.04) eV, yielding a storage time at room temperature of 230(±60) s, which marks an improvement of 2 orders of magnitude compared to the former record value in QDs. Alternative material systems are proposed for still higher localization energies and longer storage times.

We present a study of self-assembled In0.5Ga0.5As quantum dots on GaP(001) surfaces linking growth parameters with structural, optical, and electronic properties. Quantum dot densities from 5.0 × 107 cm−2 to 1.5 × 1011 cm−2 are achieved. A ripening process during a growth interruption after In0.5Ga0.5As deposition is used to vary the quantum dot size. The main focus of this work lies on the nature of optical transitions which can be switched from low-efficient indirect to high-efficient direct ones through improved strain relief of the quantum dots by different cap layers.

We investigated metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy grown (InGa)(AsSb)/GaAs/GaP Stranski–Krastanov quantum dots (QDs) with potential applications in QD-Flash memories by cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (X-STM) and atom probe tomography (APT). The combination of X-STM and APT is a very powerful approach to study semiconductor heterostructures with atomic resolution, which provides detailed structural and compositional information on the system. The rather small QDs are found to be of truncated pyramid shape with a very small top facet and occur in our sample with a very high density of ∼4 × 1011 cm−2. APT experiments revealed that the QDs are GaAs rich with smaller amounts of In and Sb. Finite element (FE) simulations are performed using structural data from X-STM to calculate the lattice constant and the outward relaxation of the cleaved surface. The composition of the QDs is estimated by combining the results from X-STM and the FE simulations, yielding ∼InxGa1 − xAs1 − ySby, where x = 0.25–0.30 and y = 0.10–0.15. Noticeably, the reported composition is in good agreement with the experimental results obtained by APT, previous optical, electrical, and theoretical analysis carried out on this material system. This confirms that the InGaSb and GaAs layers involved in the QD formation have strongly intermixed. A detailed analysis of the QD capping layer shows the segregation of Sb and In from the QD layer, where both APT and X-STM show that the Sb mainly resides outside the QDs proving that Sb has mainly acted as a surfactant during the dot formation. Our structural and compositional analysis provides a valuable insight into this novel QD system and a path for further growth optimization to improve the storage time of the QD-Flash memory devices.

Stranski-Krastanov (SK) growth of In0.5Ga0.5Sb quantum dots (QDs) on GaP(001) by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy is demonstrated. A thin GaAs interlayer prior to QD deposition enables QD nucleation. The impact of a short Sb-flush before supplying InGaSb is investigated. QD growth gets partially suppressed for GaAs interlayer thicknesses below 6 monolayers. QD densities vary from 5 × 109 to 2 × 1011 cm−2 depending on material deposition and Sb-flush time. When In0.5Ga0.5Sb growth is carried out without Sb-flush, the QD density is generally decreased, and up to 60% larger QDs are obtained.

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