Growth of quantum dots by droplet etching epitaxy in molecular beam epitaxy: theory, practice, and review

TL;DR

This review comprehensively discusses the growth process, parameters, and theoretical understanding of GaAs quantum dots produced by droplet etching epitaxy in molecular beam epitaxy, highlighting recent advancements and applications.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed overview of droplet etching epitaxy for GaAs quantum dots, including growth phases, experimental results, and theoretical insights.

Findings

Systematic analysis of growth parameters for high-quality quantum dots

Correlation of experimental results with crystal growth theories

Extension of droplet etching epitaxy to new material systems

Abstract

GaAs quantum dots grown by droplet etching epitaxy are high-quality solid-state sources of quantum light. Despite implementation in devices that exploit quantum phenomenon, a comprehensive review on the crystal growth of quantum dots grown by droplet etching epitaxy is absent, unlike for other quantum dot growth techniques such as the related droplet epitaxy method or Stranski-Krastanov growth of InAs quantum dots. This review presents a detailed overview of the droplet etching epitaxy growth technique in the molecular beam epitaxy environment, with emphasis on the growth parameters necessary to realize high-quality quantum dots. We systematically cover the three main phases of droplet etching epitaxy - droplet deposition, droplet etching, and nanohole regrowth - and relate experimental results to theories on crystal growth. The review concludes with an introduction to GaAs quantum dot photoluminescence and the extension of droplet etching epitaxy beyond the AlGaAs/GaAs material system.