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We report long-wavelength photoluminescence emission (∼1.6–1.7 μm) from self-organized InAs surface quantum dots (SQDs) grown on GaAs substrate without any capping layers. Photoluminescence (PL) properties of these quantum dots (QDs) are strongly affected by the surface states and strain relaxation mechanism. Compared to the case of capped InAs QDs, a large redshift of about 466 nm observed in the PL spectrum of SQDs can be attributed to the strain relaxation and the strong coupling of the confined states with the surface states. The PL properties of these SQDs can also be influenced by the presence of quasi-infinite surface potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-stage “nucleation-augmented” growth method for producing InAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) using molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs (100) substrates has been investigated in detail. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that a 1.8-monolayer-(MLs) InAs QD “nucleation” layer grown at a fast rate, followed by a 2.6-MLs-InAs “augmented” layer grown under pulsed conditions at a slow rate, dramatically increases the dot density and improves the PL intensity for the InAs QDs. It was found that, when the effective growth rate of the InAs augmented layer was reduced, the PL peak emission shifts to a longer wavelength and the PL intensity is enhanced. These changes in characteristics were attributed to improved optical quality and greater dot density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]