Pit rim decomposition into multiple quantum dots on surfaces of epitaxial thin films grown on pit-patterned substrates
Abstract
We report results of dynamical simulations according to an experimentally validated surface morphological evolution model on the formation of regular arrays of quantum dot molecules (QDMs) consisting of 1D arrays of smaller interacting quantum dots (QDs). These QD arrays form along the sides of each pit rim on the surface of a coherently strained thin film epitaxially deposited on a semiconductor substrate, the surface of which consists of a periodic pattern of inverted prismatic pits with rectangular pit openings. We find that this complex QDM pattern results from the decomposition of the pit rim from a “quantum fortress” with four elongated QDs into four 1D arrays of multiple smaller QDs arranged along each side of the pit rim. Systematic parametric analysis indicates that varying the pit opening dimensions and the pit wall inclination directly impacts the number of QDs in the resulting QDM pattern, while varying the pit depth only affects the dimensions of the QDs in the nanostructure pattern. Therefore, the number, arrangement, and sizes of QDs in the resulting pattern of QDMs on the film surface can be engineered precisely by proper tuning of the pit design parameters. Our simulation results are supported by predictions of morphological stabilitymore »
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR). Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1902691
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1883639
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FG02-07ER46407; SC0018421
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 132; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Semiconductor device fabrication; Thin films; Nanofabrication; Linear stability analysis; Epitaxy; Quantum dots; Mass diffusivity; Computer simulation; Surface morphology; Semiconductor materials
Citation Formats
Patel, Omeet N., Chen, Chao-Shou, and Maroudas, Dimitrios. Pit rim decomposition into multiple quantum dots on surfaces of epitaxial thin films grown on pit-patterned substrates. United States: N. p., 2022.
Web. doi:10.1063/5.0106912.
Patel, Omeet N., Chen, Chao-Shou, & Maroudas, Dimitrios. Pit rim decomposition into multiple quantum dots on surfaces of epitaxial thin films grown on pit-patterned substrates. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0106912
Patel, Omeet N., Chen, Chao-Shou, and Maroudas, Dimitrios. Thu .
"Pit rim decomposition into multiple quantum dots on surfaces of epitaxial thin films grown on pit-patterned substrates". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0106912. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1902691.
@article{osti_1902691,
title = {Pit rim decomposition into multiple quantum dots on surfaces of epitaxial thin films grown on pit-patterned substrates},
author = {Patel, Omeet N. and Chen, Chao-Shou and Maroudas, Dimitrios},
abstractNote = {We report results of dynamical simulations according to an experimentally validated surface morphological evolution model on the formation of regular arrays of quantum dot molecules (QDMs) consisting of 1D arrays of smaller interacting quantum dots (QDs). These QD arrays form along the sides of each pit rim on the surface of a coherently strained thin film epitaxially deposited on a semiconductor substrate, the surface of which consists of a periodic pattern of inverted prismatic pits with rectangular pit openings. We find that this complex QDM pattern results from the decomposition of the pit rim from a “quantum fortress” with four elongated QDs into four 1D arrays of multiple smaller QDs arranged along each side of the pit rim. Systematic parametric analysis indicates that varying the pit opening dimensions and the pit wall inclination directly impacts the number of QDs in the resulting QDM pattern, while varying the pit depth only affects the dimensions of the QDs in the nanostructure pattern. Therefore, the number, arrangement, and sizes of QDs in the resulting pattern of QDMs on the film surface can be engineered precisely by proper tuning of the pit design parameters. Our simulation results are supported by predictions of morphological stability analysis, which explains the pit rim decomposition into multiple QDs as the outcome of a tip-splitting instability and provides a fundamental characterization of the post-instability nanostructure pattern. Our theoretical findings can play a vital role in designing optimal semiconductor surface patterns toward enabling future nanofabrication technologies.},
doi = {10.1063/5.0106912},
journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
number = 8,
volume = 132,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2022},
month = {Thu Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2022}
}
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