Morphology of self-assembled InAs quantum dots on GaAs(001)

We have followed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) the epitaxial growth of InAs on GaAs(001) starting from the initial formation of a strained two-dimensional wetting layer up to the self-assembled nucleation and growth of 3D nanoparticles. In this work we underline many aspects of the morphology of this system, which substantiate the role either of kinetics on thermodynamics in the process of growth as well as the role of surface instabilities in controlling lateral ordering of the nanoaggregates.