Characteristics of the InAs quantum dots MBE grown on the vicinal GaAs(001) surfaces misoriented to the [010] direction

Atomic-force microscopy is used to study InAs quantum dot arrays grown by m olecular beam epitaxy on vicinal GaAs(0 0 1) surfaces misoriented to the [0 (1) over bar 0] direction by 1 degrees, 2 degrees, 4 degrees, and 6 degree s. For a chosen misorientatoin direction, it is shown that the vicinal GaAs (0 0 1) surface is covered with a net of stepped terraces. The condensation of the network of terraces upon increasing of the misorientation angle lea ds to the suppression of adatom surface diffusion and makes it possible to achieve higher densities and better uniformity of quantum dots arrays, (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.