Indium nitride quantum dots grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

With respect to growing indium nitride quantum dots with very low surface densities for quantum cryptography applications, we have studied the metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy of InN onto GaN buffer layers. From lattice mismatch results the formation of self-assembled dots. The effects of the growth temperature, V/III molar ratio, and deposition time are studied, and we demonstrate that quantum-sized dots of InN can be grown with a material crystalline quality similar to the quality of the GaN buffer layer, in densities of 10(7) to 10(8) cm(-2). Such low densities of dots allow for the realization of experiments or devices in which a single dot is isolated, and may be used in the near future to produce single-photon sources. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.