Epitaxial growth

In a lattice-mismatched system, which growth mode grows layer by layer for the first few atomic layers and switches to island growth as strain accumulates? It is also used to make quantum dots.

  1. AFrank–van der Merwe
  2. BVolmer–Weber
  3. CStranski–Krastanov
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Answer: C. Stranski–Krastanov

In Stranski–Krastanov (SK) growth, a thin wetting layer first grows layer by layer, and when the strain energy grows large, growth switches to islands. These islands can be used as self-assembled quantum dots, for example in InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers.

  • A. Frank–van der Merwe growth proceeds layer by layer throughout.
  • B. Volmer–Weber growth forms islands from the start.
  • C. Correct. It switches from layer growth to island growth.
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More Epitaxial growth questions

  1. When silicon is grown epitaxially on a substrate with patterns such as buried layers, what is the phenomenon called in which the steps appearing on the surface are offset from the underlying pattern or distorted in shape?
  2. What is the main purpose of epitaxially growing and embedding Si:C (silicon with a small amount of carbon) in the source and drain of nMOS transistors?
  3. Which research-stage technique grows a crystal on a substrate covered with a 2D material such as graphene so that the grown film can be peeled off and the substrate reused?
  4. In epitaxial structures for GaN HEMTs, what is the main purpose of adding carbon or iron to the GaN buffer layer beneath the channel?
  5. When a polar compound semiconductor such as GaAs is grown on a non-polar silicon substrate, what is the boundary called between regions in which the Ga and As positions are inverted?