InAs/GaAs(001) epitaxy: kinetic effects in the two-dimensional to three-dimensional transition

Step instability and surface mass transport strongly influence the kinetics of the two- to three-dimensional (2D-3D) transition in InAs/GaAs self-assembly epitaxy. In this paper we report evidence of the step erosion of quantum dots (QDs) nucleated on step edges for samples having different surface morphologies and the explosive nucleation of 3D QDs triggered by it. Related issues such as the temperature dependence of the critical thickness, the volume dependence of the surface mass transport, and the scaling behaviour are illustrated by means of RHEED and AFM measurements and data analysis for small increments of InAs coverage throughout the 2D-3D transition.