Droplet epitaxy of 3D Quantum Nanostructures

What makes 3D semiconductor quantum nanostructures so attractive is the possibility to tune their electronic properties by careful design of size and composition. These parameters set the confinement potential thus determining the electronic and optical properties of the nanostructure. Droplet Epitaxy (DE) is a growth method for the fabrication of III-V semiconductor quantum nanostructures (dot, rings etc.) with highly designable shapes and complex morphologies. DE is based on the control of the crystallization kinetics of nanoscale group III metal atoms reservoirs, self-assembled on the surface in forms of nanometer size droplets, into 3D nanostructures by annealing in a group V atmosphere.