Stranski-Krastanov Growth Mode Research Articles

Self‐Aligned Photonic Defect Microcavity Lasers with Site‐Controlled Quantum Dots

AbstractSelf‐assembled semiconductor quantum dots face challenges in terms of scalable device integration because of their random growth positions, originating from the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode. Even with existing site‐controlled growth techniques, for example, nanohole or buried stressor concepts, a further lithography and etching step with high spatial alignment requirements is necessary to accurately integrate quantum dots into the nanophotonic devices. Here, the fabrication and characterization of strain‐induced site‐controlled microcavities are reported, where site‐controlled quantum dots are positioned at the antinode of the optical mode field in a self‐aligned manner without the need of any further nano‐processing. It is shown that the cavity properties such as Q‐factor, mode volume, and mode splitting can be tailored by the geometry of the integrated buried stressor, with an opening <4 µm. The experimental results are complemented with theory calculations based on continuum elasticity. Lasing signatures, including super‐linear input‐output response and linewidth narrowing, are observed for a 3.6‐µm self‐aligned cavity with a Q‐factor of 18 000. Furthermore, the quasi‐planar site‐controlled cavities exhibit no detrimental thermal effects. This approach integrates seamlessly with the industrial‐matured manufacturing process and the buried‐stressor technique, paving the way for exceptional scalability and straightforward manufacturing of high‐β microlasers and bright quantum light sources.

Dislocation formation in the heteroepitaxial growth of PbSe/PbTe systems

The paper presents a multiscale study of the kinetic processes of the heteroepitaxial growth of the PbSe/PbTe(111) and PbTe/PbSe(001) systems, using the Concurrent Atomistic-Continuum (CAC) method as the simulation tool. The CAC simulations have reproduced the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode and the layer-by-layer growth mode of the two systems, respectively; the pyramid-shaped island morphology of the PbSe epilayer on PbTe(111), the square-like misfit dislocation networks within the PbTe/PbSe(001) interface, and the critical thickness for the PbTe/PbSe(001) system at which coherent interfaces transit to semi-coherent interfaces with the formation of misfit dislocations, all in good agreement with experimental observations. Four types of misfit dislocations are found to form during the growth of the two PbTe/PbSe heterosystems, and hexagonal-like misfit dislocation networks are observed within the PbSe/PbTe(111) interfaces. The growth processes, including the formation of misfit dislocations, have been visualized. Dislocation half-loops have been observed to nucleate from the epilayer surfaces. These half-loops extend towards the interface by climb or glide motions, interact with other half-loops, and form misfit dislocation networks at the interfaces and threading dislocations extending from interfaces to epilayer surfaces. The dominant types of misfit dislocations in both systems are found to be those with Burgers vectors parallel to the interfaces, whereas the misfit dislocations with Burgers vectors inclined to the interface have a low likelihood of generation and tend to annihilate. The size of the substrate is demonstrated to have a significant effect on the formation, evolution, and distribution of dislocations on the growth of PbSe on PbTe(111).

Morphology of ultrathin gold and copper coatings thermally evaporated on polydimethylsiloxane elastomers: From isolated nanoparticles to continuous coatings

This article presents a morphological study of ultrathin gold and copper coatings (between 1 nm and 20 nm equivalent metal thickness) thermally evaporated on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Results are discussed on the basis of transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Gold is demonstrated to grow in the form of isolated particles following a Volmer-Weber growth mode, whereas copper more likely grows in the form of a continuous film, following a Stranski–Krastanov growth mode. Our results demonstrate a negligible role of the PDMS elastic modulus (between 0.5 and 2.5 MPa) in the gold and copper coatings morphology respectively. However, significant morphological changes are observed when the metals are thermally evaporated on a PDMS substrate of extremely higher surface elastic modulus obtained after O2 plasma exposure.

Growth mode and characterizations of electrodeposited Re thick films from aqueous solutions with additives on Cu (110) + (311) substrates

Rhenium (Re) thick films were electrodeposited on copper (Cu) substrates with (110) + (311) texture from aqueous solutions with additives of 2 g l−1 gelatin, 1 mM sodium lauryl sulfate, and 1 mM vanillin. The microstructure and morphology of the films with different thickness values were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microcopy. The chemical composition and the crystallographic structure of the films were identified by energy dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively. Re thick films were obtained due to the synergistic effect of additives. The additives had a significant influence on electrodeposition of the films. The microstructure and growth mode of Re films were influenced by surface topography and orientation texture of the substrate. The deposition rate was about 0.064 mg min−1. Re thin films adhered well to the substrate with no evidence of delamination and cracking. However, the Re thick film was not stable, fine microcracks were present, and even delamination occurred in vacuum condition due to large residual stress in the deposits or the shrinkage from decomposition of Re hydrides in the vacuum environment. Re films consisted of an amorphous phase structure. The Re film had a high hardness of 349 ± 15 VHN and exhibited a Stranski–Krastanov growth mode.

Tensile-Strained Platinum-Cobalt Alloy Surface on Palladium Octahedra as a Highly Durable Oxygen Reduction Catalyst.

Designing shape-controlled Pt-based core-shell nanocrystals is a prospective strategy to maximize the utilization of Pt while maintaining high activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the core-shell structures with ultrathin Pt shell exhibit limited electrochemical durability. Therefore, a thicker shell is proposed to successfully improve the durability of the core-shell structures by preventing the core from dissolution. Nevertheless, the deposition of Pt tends to switch to the Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode with the increase of the number of layer, resulting in the absence of a conformal morphology. Herein, we realize the deposition of three-to-five-layer epitaxial Pt-Co layers on Pd octahedral seeds by introducing tensile strain in the epitaxial layer to impede the S-K growth. The as-obtained Pd@Pt-Co octahedra with four layers exhibit enhanced mass activity (0.69 A/mgPt) and specific activity (1.00 mA/cm2) for ORR, which are 4.93 and 5 times that of the commercial Pt/C, respectively. Furthermore, it shows only 17% decay for specific activity after a 30,000-cycle durability test. This work is expected to enlighten the design and synthesis of related core-shell nanocrystals with facetted multicomponent shells, offering a promising strategy for designing cost-effective and efficient catalysts.

3-Dimensional Self-Ordered Multilayered Ge Nanodots on SiGe

Multilayered Ge nanodots have drawn much attention due to their potential applications in optoelectronics, such as photodetectors and lasers. Many groups studied multilayered Ge nanodots with Si spacers on Si(001) grown by Stranski-Krastanov (SK) growth mode and vertically aligned by local tensile strain induced by buried Ge nanodots (1-2). However, to avoid plastic relaxation caused by a 4.2% lattice mismatch between Si and Ge, thick nanodots and/or large layer numbers are challenging. Additionally, laterally-aligned Ge nanodots without pre-structuring have not been reported. In this study, we demonstrate 3-dimensional (3D) self-ordered Ge nanodots on SiGe virtual substrate (VS) by SiGe/Ge cyclic epitaxial growth and show the effects of fabrication parameters.The 3D self-ordered Ge nanodots were fabricated by reduced-pressure chemical vapor deposition. A Si0.4Ge0.6 VS with step-graded buffer deposited on Si(001) wafer was used. This VS was post-annealed at 1000°C, followed by chemical-mechanical polishing. After HF dip, the substrate was baked at 850°C in H2, then cooled down to 550°C for epitaxial growth. A 52-82 nm thick Si0.48Ge0.52 layer was deposited using a H2-SiH4-GeH4 gas mixture, then a self-assembled Ge nanodots layer via SK growth mechanism was deposited with 7.5-15.0 nm Ge coverage using a H2-GeH4 gas mixture. This Si0.48Ge0.52/Ge deposition cycle was repeated 5 to 20 times to fabricate the 3D self-ordered Ge nanodot stack. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the morphology and alignment of the Ge nanodots. The facets of the Ge nanodots were studied by analyzing the cross-section cuts of AFM images and confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Nano-beam diffraction (NBD) was used to study strain in the superlattice.Fig. 1(a-c) show the AFM images of the 5-cycle superlattices with Ge coverage 7.5 to 15.0 nm. In fig. 1(a), we can see mainly two types of nanodots, diamond (32%) and dome (68%). The height of the diamond-like nanodots is 9 nm with a standard deviation (s) of 2.6 nm while that of the dome-like nanodots is 23 nm with s=1.8 nm. With increasing Ge coverage, dome-like nanodots dominate (fig. 1(b)) and some nanodots merge with the adjacent nanodots (fig. 1(c)). Since the dome-like nanodots show a lower s in height than the diamond-like nanodots do, engineering of self-ordering is more feasible with the dome-like nanodot.Fig. 2(a-b) show the angle view of SEM images of Ge nanodots on 5- and 20-cycle superlattice of 12.5 nm-Ge/52 nm-SiGe. The dome-like nanodots are dominant and laterally aligned. The alignment and the uniformity improve with the increasing cycle number of the superlattice. However, when the thickness of Si0.48Ge0.52 spacer increases, the lateral- and vertical alignment of nanodots become random, and the amount of diamond-like nanodots increases (not shown).To study facets of two types of nanodots, the tilt of each facet was calculated from the cross-section cuts of AFM images. Fig. 3(a) shows an AFM image of the dome-like nanodot. Fig. 3(b) shows the cross-section cuts of fig. 3(a) along <110>. These cross-section cuts are well-overlapped with the high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) STEM image as shown in the background of fig. 3(b). Therefore, it is possible and reliable to estimate the facets from the cross-section cuts of our AFM images. By this method, we confirmed that the diamond-like nanodot is composed of {105} and the dome-like nanodot is composed of {113} and {159}. This is consistent with a study of Ge dot on Si substrate except for {159} facet (3). Instead of {159} facet, a relatively similar facet {3 15 23} was reported. This difference may result from the less compressive strain in our Ge nanodots because SiGe VS was used.To explain the vertical correlation of Ge nanodots, a HAADF STEM image and in- and out-of-plane strain distributions measured by NBD are shown in fig. 4(a-c). The nanodots are vertically aligned (fig. 4(a)). The SiGe on the nanodot shows a relatively higher lattice parameter along <110> (fig. 4(b)) and lower lattice parameter along <001> (fig. 4(c)) compared to that on Ge wetting layer, indicating tensile strain. This tensile strain area is the preferred position for Ge nanodot formation because of less lateral lattice mismatch. Consequently, the nanodots tend to grow above the buried nanodots.3D self-ordered multilayered Ge nanodots on SiGe VS were successfully fabricated, and the facets and the vertical correlation of Ge nanodots were studied. References P.S. Chen et al. Materials Science and Engineering B 108 (2004) 213-218K.L. Wang et al. Proceeding of the IEEE 95 (2007) 1866J.T. Robinson et al. Nanotechnology 20 (2009) 085708 Figure 1

Modified Stranski-Krastanov Growth of Amino Acid Arrays toward Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting.

Biomolecule-based piezoelectric nanostructures emerged as a new class of energy-converse materials, and designing tailored piezoelectric amino acid arrays is essential to achieve efficient electrical-mechanical coupling and fulfill their application potential. However, the controlled growth of amino acid nanostructures is still challenging due to the limited understanding of their growth mechanism. Herein, we base on the Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode and propose a mechanism for the growth of ordered amino acid array structures via physical vapor deposition. The growth of vertical valine sheet arrays is examined by changing the substrate temperature, chamber pressure, and source-substrate distance, and a "layer-plus-sheet" growth process is revealed. The modified S-K growth mode is applied to fabricate other amino acid nanostructures like leucine and isoleucine. The growth mode not only explains the formation of uniform and controllable morphology of amino acid structures but also leads to the significant enhancement of their piezoelectric properties. The maximal effective piezoelectric constant of valine sheets is 11.4 pm V-1, which approaches its highest predicted value. The output voltage of the valine array-based nanogenerator is ∼4.6 times the output voltage of the valine powder-based nanogenerator. This work provides new insights into the growth mechanism of ordered piezoelectric amino acid arrays, making them promising candidates for applications in wearable or implantable electronic devices.

Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of quantum dot self-assembly

In the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode for heteroepitaxial systems, layer-by-layer growth is followed by the formation and growth of three-dimensional (3D) islands. In this paper, we use a kinetic Monte Carlo method to simulate this growth mode behavior. We present a detailed and systematic investigation into the effects of key model parameters including strain, growth temperature, and deposition rate on this phenomenon. We show that increasing the strain lowers the apparent critical thickness that is defined by the onset of 3D island formation. Similarly, increasing the growth temperature lowers the apparent critical thickness, until intermixing, and the resulting relevance of entropic contributions, become more significant. We also report the impact on Stranski–Krastanov growth of more model-specific parameters, such as bond strengths between constituent atoms of the system, and surface energy anisotropies.

Low areal densities of InAs quantum dots on GaAs(1 0 0) prepared by molecular beam epitaxy

We report on a comparison of different In-deposition schemes to achieve low areal densities of self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) on GaAs(100) via the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode employing solid source molecular beam epitaxy. We could realize densities in the range of 107–108 QDs/cm2 utilizing homogeneous In-deposition and an annealing step. At least on 70% of a 3″ wafer the density was between 1 × 107and 1 × 108 QDs/cm2. To achieve this, the In amount and the substrate temperature were controlled precisely. With inhomogeneous In-deposition via growing without sample rotation, we obtained low QD densities reproducible on a small fraction of the wafer surface. For a full-gradient, i.e., depositing the full In amount without rotation, the low-density area amounts in the best case to 10% of the overall wafer surface, whereas for a half-gradient, i.e. only half the In amount is deposited without rotation, it is 15%. The more In is deposited with substrate rotation, the less reproducible becomes the position of the low-density region on the wafer.

Controlled growth mechanism of ring-like In(Ga)As quantum Dot pairs on GaAs ring-ring-disk nanostructures templates

The ring-like In(Ga)As quantum dot pairs (QDPs) is prepared on GaAs ring-ring-disk (R-R-D) nanostructures template by droplet epitaxy (DE) method. The surface morphology of GaAs samples are characterized with Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), and studying local controlled growth mechanism of quantum dots (QDs) on GaAs R-R-D nanostructures. STM images show that In(Ga)As QDPs self-assembled a kind of complicated structure with one quantum dot (QD) pair in the center of nanostructures, other QDPs appearing both double rings and disk areas of original GaAs R-R-D nanostructures distributed like a exquisite ring. These In(Ga)As QDPs are uniformly arranged along the [10] direction of GaAs(001) surface. Combining Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode and the tensile effect of strain field in the [10] direction on sample surface, the nucleation position and distribution shape of ring-like In(Ga)As QDPs is locally controllable. It is found that high uniformly QDPs can be locally controlled by the original GaAs R-R-D nanostructures templates. These results can provide certain guiding significance for the controllable growth of QD by DE method.

Blue phosphorene on Au(111) as a decoupling layer for organic epitaxially grown films

Blue phosphorene (BlueP) is considered as a promising two-dimensional (2D) material for future-(opto)electronic applications. Monolayer BlueP is often fabricated on Au(111) single-crystal surfaces. It has been suggested that small P domains form a lateral network with Au adatoms. Previous studies attempting to use BlueP/Au(111) as a substrate for the deposition of fullerene indicated that the former is susceptible to structural deterioration, unlike most other 2D materials in this regard. Here, we investigate 3,4:9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) monolayers and multilayer films deposited on BlueP/Au(111). We monitor the film growth in real time using in situ optical differential reflectance spectroscopy with the substrate kept either at room temperature or at $\ensuremath{\approx}120{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$. Furthermore, we examine the epitaxial alignment between PTCDA and BlueP by means of distortion-corrected low-energy electron diffraction and low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. Our data clearly reveal that PTCDA exhibits a highly ordered monolayer structure with a herringbone packing motif, whereas the domain orientations differ from all previously reported structures of PTCDA directly on Au(111). Importantly, we find no indications for adsorption-induced reordering or degradation of BlueP/Au(111). At elevated temperatures, PTCDA is observed to form multilayer islands covering only a fraction of the available PTCDA monolayer surface on BlueP/Au(111), and this Stranski-Krastanov growth mode bears similarities to literature results for PTCDA multilayers on pristine coinage metal surfaces.

Facile synthesis of PdSn alloy octopods through the Stranski–Krastanov growth mechanism as electrocatalysts towards the ethanol oxidation reaction

Pd72Sn28 octopods synthesized through the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode exhibited remarkably enhanced catalytic performance for the EOR relative to commercial Pd/C.

Frank-van der Merwe growth in bilayer graphene

Frank-van der Merwe growth in bilayer graphene

Growth, phase transition, and island motion of Au on Ge(111).

Using low energy electron microscopy, Au on Ge(111) is determined to follow a Stranski-Krastanov growth mode consisting of a single layer up to one monolayer (ML), followed by three-dimensional Au-Ge alloy droplets. Near 600°C, we report the first observation of a reversible first-order phase transition that occurs from the (3 × 3)R30° phase to a (1 × 1) phase, which has a coverage of 0.367 ML. The transition gradually occurs through a coexistence region with a temperature range of about 2°C and weakly depends on coverage, varying from 640°C at 1 ML down to 580°C at 0.8 ML. The phase transition is accompanied by phase fluctuations of small domains or the fluctuations of phase boundaries of large domains. At coverage >1 ML and above 250°C, the 3D droplets move with stick-slip hopping behavior that has previously been explained by dissolution of Ge at step edges into the alloy droplet, which then comes to concentration and thermal equilibrium via the island motion.

Molecular dynamics study on the deposition of Ni/graphene composite film

The Ni/graphene composite films deposited on Fe (001) substrate were studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The effects of incident energy and graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) size on the growth of the films were studied. The surface roughness, growth mode, crystal structure and orientation of the films under different deposition conditions were compared and analyzed. The simulation results show that when the incident energy is low, the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode is dominant; when the incident energy reaches a certain value, the film begins to grow in the Frank-Vander Merwe mode. The surface roughness decreases with the increase of incident energy due to the enhancement of surface diffusion. With the addition of GNPs, the surface roughness of the films increased significantly. The crystal structure and orientation of the deposited films were studied based on the adaptive common neighbor analysis and centrosymmetric parameters. The incident energy affects the crystal structure and orientation of the films. GNPs affect the growth mode of Ni grains, which makes Ni grains grow along (111) direction on it.

Temperature Dependence of Carrier Extraction Processes in GaSb/AlGaAs Quantum Nanostructure Intermediate-Band Solar Cells.

From the viewpoint of band engineering, the use of GaSb quantum nanostructures is expected to lead to highly efficient intermediate-band solar cells (IBSCs). In IBSCs, current generation via two-step optical excitations through the intermediate band is the key to the operating principle. This mechanism requires the formation of a strong quantum confinement structure. Therefore, we focused on the material system with GaSb quantum nanostructures embedded in AlGaAs layers. However, studies involving crystal growth of GaSb quantum nanostructures on AlGaAs layers have rarely been reported. In our work, we fabricated GaSb quantum dots (QDs) and quantum rings (QRs) on AlGaAs layers via molecular-beam epitaxy. Using the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode, we demonstrated that lens-shaped GaSb QDs can be fabricated on AlGaAs layers. In addition, atomic force microscopy measurements revealed that GaSb QDs could be changed to QRs under irradiation with an As molecular beam even when they were deposited onto AlGaAs layers. We also investigated the suitability of GaSb/AlGaAs QDSCs and QRSCs for use in IBSCs by evaluating the temperature characteristics of their external quantum efficiency. For the GaSb/AlGaAs material system, the QDSC was found to have slightly better two-step optical excitation temperature characteristics than the QRSC.

Conformal Growth of Radial InGaAs Quantum Wells in GaAs Nanowires.

GaAs-InGaAs-GaAs core-shell-shell nanowire (NW) structures were grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy using the selective-area, self-assisted, vapor-liquid-solid method. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the NWs were examined for different growth conditions of the InGaAs shell. With increasing In concentration of the InGaAs shell, the growth transitioned from preferential deposition at the NW base to the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode where InGaAs islands formed along the NW length. This trend is explained within a nucleation model where there is a critical In flux below which the conformal growth is suppressed and the shell forms only at the NW base. Low growth temperature produced a more uniform In distribution along the NW length but resulted in quenching of the photoluminescence (PL) emission. Alternatively, reducing the shell thickness and increasing the V/III flux ratio resulted in conformal InGaAs shell growth and quantum dot-like PL emission. Our results indicate a pathway toward the conditions for conformal InGaAs shell growth required for satisfactory optoelectronic performance.

Reactivity and Stability of Ultrathin VOx Films on Pt(111) in Catalytic Methanol Oxidation

The growth of ultrathin layers of VOx (< 12 monolayers) on Pt(111) and the activity of these layers in catalytic methanol oxidation at 10−4 mbar have been studied with low-energy electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, rate measurements, and with photoemission electron microscopy. Reactive deposition of V in O2 at 670 K obeys a Stranski–Krastanov growth mode with a (√3 × √3)R30° structure representing the limiting case for epitaxial growth of 3D-VOx. The activity of VOx/Pt(111) in catalytic methanol oxidation is very low and no redistribution dynamics is observed lifting the initial spatial homogeneity of the VOx layer. Under reaction conditions, part of the surface vanadium diffuses into the Pt subsurface region. Exposure to O2 causes part of the V to diffuse back to the surface, but only up to one monolayer of VOx can be stabilized in this way at 10−4 mbar.

Influence of differences in orientational planar density on the growth of Pb on the i-Ag–In–Yb quasicrystal

Metal adsorption upon the 3-fold and 5-fold symmetric surfaces of the i-Ag–In–Yb quasicrystal has led to the observation of unique growth modes. Here, we present a study of the growth of Pb upon the 2-fold i-Ag–In–Yb surface, where the growth mechanism is found to be different from those observed on the other, higher symmetry surfaces of the same system. Initial Pb atoms occupy non-chemically-specific surface sites before forming a row structure. At higher coverages, the Pb atoms form a dense wetting layer before 1D Pb chains of limited size are self-assembled as a second layer. We therefore consider the Pb atoms to exhibit a type of Stranski–Krastanov growth mode. Substrate–adsorbate interaction is favoured in the wetting layer, before adsorbate–adsorbate interaction promotes chain growth. The difference in growth modes upon the three high symmetry surfaces is discussed with respect to their respective atomic densities.

(Invited) Surfactant-Directed Quantum Dot Self-Assembly on Unconventional GaAs Surfaces

The pursuit of integrated sources for quantum optics has motivated quantum dot research for decades. However, difficulties in controlling the geometry, symmetry and size-uniformity of self-assembled quantum dots has been a major roadblock in device development. While the Stranski–Krastanov (SK) growth of InAs three-dimensional (3D) islands has been extensively investigated on GaAs(001), the SK growth mode is not observed on GaAs (110) and {111}, the other low index surfaces of GaAs. This is unfortunate as these surfaces have symmetries (Cs and C3v, respectively) which differ from that of the (001) surface, and owing to their low energy they are often present in self-assembled nanostructures such as nanowires. Furthermore, the high symmetry of {111} surfaces is expected to yield quantum dots that are ideal for entangled photon emission.Here we show that using a Bi surfactant to modify surface properties can profoundly influence epitaxial growth on GaAs (110) and (111)A surfaces. On GaAs(110), the Bi surfactant alters the fundamental growth mode of InAs from 2D layer growth to a 3D SK mode. Furthermore, a morphological phase transition can be induced “on-demand” in static strained 2D InAs(110) layers by exposing them to Bi, resulting in a rapid rearrangement of the InAs layer into 3D islands. Small (110) QDs are coherently strained to the substrate. These islands are optically active and exhibit emission that is linearly polarized, showing perspective for polarized single-photon emitters. On GaAs(111)A, GaAs buffer layer growth under a Bi flux results in ultra-smooth surfaces, which are free from the typically-observed morphological defects. Similar to the (110) case, exposing 2D InAs/GaAs(111)A layers to Bi induces the InAs 3D island self-assembly. These findings illustrate how surface-energy-modifying surfactants open the door to QDs synthesis on new substrates and with new materials.