Origin of broad luminescence from site‐controlled InGaN nanodots fabricated by selective‐area epitaxy

Abstract

We investigated the origin of broad luminescence observed from an array of site‐controlled InGaN nanodots grown by selective area epitaxy (SAE). Epitaxially grown site‐controlled nanodots with lateral dimensions <50 nm and an array density of 1010 cm−2 have been studied. During the nanoscale SAE, incorporation of adatoms from the SiO2 mask has greater relative importance, resulting in a non‐uniform growth profile. This non‐uniform growth profile leads to significant broadening of the InGaN nano‐heterostructure luminescence. Later in the SAE process, an orientation‐dependent growth rate coalesces various crystal planes and transforms these nanostructures into a more uniform array.