Investigations on the Stranski–Krastanow growth of CdSe quantum dots

We have investigated the growth kinetics of the self-assembled formation of coherently strained CdSe islands. We have found that two distinctly different types of islands are formed in succession. Analyzing the density distribution function of the two dominating size classes of islands, we show that islands of an average diameter of about 16 nm (type B islands) are correlated with a phase transition via a Stranski–Krastanow growth process. The other islands with a diameter of less than 10 nm (type A islands) is formed during the growth of the first 2 ML. At a coverage of about 3.1 ML CdSe stacking faults appear, indicating the beginning of the plastic relaxation of the quantum dot structure.