InAs/GaAs(0 0 1) wetting layer formation observed in situ by concurrent MBE and STM

• Published in: Surface science Vol. 603; no. 24; pp. 3439 - 3444
• Main Authors: Bastiman, F., Cullis, A.G., Hopkinson, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15.12.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Concurrent; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; GaAs; InAs; Molecular beam epitaxy; Physics; Quantum dots; Scanning tunnelling microscopy; Molecular beam epitaxy; Quantum dots; InAs; GaAs; Concurrent; Scanning tunnelling microscopy; Gallium arsenides; Inorganic compounds; Semiconductor materials; Wetting; In situ; Binary compounds; Indium arsenides; Film growth; Scanning tunneling microscopy
• ISSN: 0039-6028; 1879-2758
• DOI: 10.1016/j.susc.2009.10.009

The growth of InAs on GaAs(0 0 1) has attracted great interest and investigation over the past few decades primarily due to the opto-electronic properties of the self-assembled quantum dot (QD) arrays formed. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) has been extensively employed to investigate the complicated and spontaneous mechanism of QD growth via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In order to access surface dynamics, MBE and STM must be performed concurrently. The system herein combines MBE functionality into an STM instrument in order to investigate wetting layer formation dynamically. The GaAs(0 0 1)-(2 × 4) starting surface undergoes 2D island growth, reconstruction change-induced roughness and re-entrant 3D island formation prior to the Stranski–Krastanow transition point.