Measurement and control of size and density of type-II ZnTe/ZnSe submonolayer quantum dots grown by migration enhanced epitaxy

For practical applications of self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), it is important to control their densities and sizes, however these parameters are difficult to quantify. This is particularly challenging in case of submonolayer QDs, in spite of their remarkable features including absence of wetting layers and significantly small dimensions that are advantageous for many device application. We report here the investigation of submonolayer type-II ZnTe/ZnSe QDs grown via migration enhanced epitaxy (MEE) with varying Te content. The employment of MEE assists in the formation of QDs and facilitates improvement in overall material quality. The structural and optical properties of these QD structures were investigated using a variety of characterization tools. Low temperature photoluminescence measurement allowed for a good estimate of QD thicknesses, while observation of robust Aharanov–Bohm-oscillations in magneto-PL spectra was used to precisely determine diameters of these disc-shaped QDs. These results, in conjunction with high resolution x-ray diffraction and secondary ion mass spectrometry data of the Te concentration, were then used to evaluate the QD density. It is evident from the results that the dot density increases much faster than the QD size with respect to the increase in overall Te content. Most importantly, this study provides the dependence of average QD size and density as a function of Te flux and Te MEE cycles, and shows that these are the key parameters to control the QD dimension and distribution.