Numerical Simulations of Hetero-Epitaxial Growth of Quantum Dots

Abstract

Three topics regarding the modeling and simulation of the growth of nanostructures, e.g., semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) on flat and curved surfaces have been presented. The first focuses on the development of a kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method and with which modeling and simulation of QD formation at the early stage of heteroepitaxial growth has been performed. The investigation of nanostructure formation including the growth of QDs on heteroepitaxial core-shell nanowires is the focus of the second topic. Systematic three-dimensional dynamic simulations are performed, and the results suggest several possible ways to control the distribution, size and density of island arrays on core-shell nanowire surfaces. The third topic addressed the alloying during the growth of alloy thin films that leads to the formation of coherently strained alloy QDs. A three-dimensional modeling and simulation method for the growth of alloy quantum dots based on finite element method has been developed.