Atom-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy of vertically ordered InAs quantum dots

We present cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of strain-induced, self-organized InAs quantum dots grown on GaAs. Samples containing 5 and 10 sequentially grown dot layers are investigated, and dots from different layers are seen to align in vertical columns. Our STM images are in general agreement with previous structural imaging, such as cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, except that dot crowns appear more truncated. Although the size of the dots in most columns is roughly constant, monotonic changes in diameter are observed in some cases. STM analysis also reveals many new atom-resolved details of electronic structure, including dissolution of the InAs wetting layer and the presence of indium between the dot columns, which we attribute to segregation and diffusion of indium out of the wetting layer during overgrowth. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.