Unstrained and strained semiconductor nanostructure fabrication via molecular beam epitaxical growth on non-planar patterned gallium arsenide(001) substrates

This dissertation contributes to three areas in the emerging field of nanostructures: (i) fabrication of quantum wires (QWR) and quantum dots (QD) via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on non-planar patterned substrates (NPPS), (ii) nature of mesa profile evolution with MBE growth, and (iii) nature of highly strained epitaxy on nanoscale mesas. Using the approach of substrate-encoded size-reducing epitaxy (SESRE) we have successfully fabricated QWRs and QBs in the unstrained GaAs/AlGaAs system and QBs in the highly strained InAs/GaAs system on GaAs (001) mesas with edges oriented along the ⟨100⟩ directions. By controlling the InAs delivery just below that required for 3D island formation on planar GaAs (001) substrates and optimizing the growth conditions, we have been able to selectively position 3D InAs islands on stripe mesas with appropriate shape, size, and orientation. Studies of the effect of growth interruption on the mesa growth profile evolution reveal the dynamic nature of the NPPS surface at typical MBE growth conditions. In the case of [100] oriented stripe mesas, during growth adatom migration was seen from the {lcub}101{rcub}, sidewalls to the (001) mesa top, whereas during growth interruption adatom migration from the mesa top to the sidewalls was observed. These results have significant implications for the relative magnitudes of the energy barriers relevant to the crystal growth processes on different surfaces. Studies of growth profile evolution dependence on the orientation and the sidewall profile of mesas created via focused ion beam assisted chemical etching evidenced the mesa profiles suitable for nanostructure fabrication via SESRE. We observe a dramatic suppression of 3D island formation during InAs deposition on nanoscale square mesas due to the strain relief available at the free edges of the mesa and substantial strain accommodation in the underlying mesa. The interplay between the strain build-up and the interfacet migration kinetics causes reversal in the In adatom, interfacet migration direction and leads to self-limiting behavior of the mesa top InAs film thickness.