Site- and energy-controlled quantum dots for photonic applications

This paper reviews the application of growth on nonplanar, patterned substrates for producing high quality semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) with good control over their position on the substrate as well as their energy spectrum. The approach consists of organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OMCVD) of (In)GaAs/(Al)GaAs heterostructures on (111)B GaAs substrates patterned with pyramidal pits. The perfect site-control of the pyramidal quantum dots are useful for incorporation into optically active photonic crystal devices. The incorporation of pyramidal QDs into Bragg optical cavities as well as their use in efficient QD lasers are also discussed.