A growth pathway for highly ordered quantum dot arrays

To realize the desired zero-dimensional behavior of a quantum dot ensemble, the ability to fabricate quantum dots with a high packing density and a high degree of size, shape, and spacing uniformity is crucial. Here we report highly ordered InAs nanodot arrays grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on nonlithographically nanopatterned GaAs. Approximately 20 billion dots are grown in a 1 cm(2) area with the smallest size dispersion ever reported and forming a lateral superlattice in hexagonal dense packing form. These techniques presage a pathway to controlled growth of periodic quantum dot superstructures, which offer macroscopic spatial coherence in the interaction of quantum dots with radiation. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.