Narrow gap nano-dots growth by droplets heteroepitaxial mode

There is an increasing interest in Quantum Dot (QD) structures for a plethora of applications, including optoelectronic devices, quantum information processing and energy harvesting. Over the last few years, self assembled quantum dots have been observed in a wide variety of semiconductor systems. Several methods for self organized dots have been suggested, among them the most common is the Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode. The S-K growth mode needs a mismatch between the substrate and the dots material. Recently, an alternative approach of growing QD's, has emerged known as the Droplet heteroepitaxial method. This method is potentially not limited to mismatched material systems and is very attractive for growth of binary and more complicated compounds based on low melting point elements. In this work we present a detailed study on the growth mechanisms of the InSb-based droplets quantum dots and show the large versatility of this droplets growth system in achieving different optical properties of the dots system. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.