Abstract
We have investigated by atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy subsequent stages of the heteroepitaxy of InAs on GaAs(001) from the initial formation of the strained two-dimensional wetting layer up to the development of three-dimensional quantum dots. We provide evidence of structural features that play a crucial role in the two- to three-dimensional transition and discuss their contribution to the final morphology of the self-assembled nanoparticles. A model is suggested for the strained phase at the critical thickness consisting of an intermixed ${\mathrm{In}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{As}$ surface layer of composition $x=0.82$ and InAs ``floating'' on top. Such ``floating'' phase participate to the large mass transport along the surface during the two- to three-dimensional transition that accounts quantitatively for the total volume of dots.
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