Influence of dislocation stress field on distribution of quantum dots

InAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown on In0.15Ga0.85As strained layers by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (0 0 1) substrates. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy study have indicated that In0.15Ga0.85As ridges and InAs QDs formed at the inclined upside of interface misfit dislocations (MDs). By testifying the MDs are mixed 60° dislocations and calculating the surface stress over them when they are 12–180 nm below the surface, we found the QDs prefer nucleating on the side with tensile stress of the MDs and this explained why the ordering of QDs is weak when the InGaAs layer is relatively thick.