Abstract
The self-formation of InAs quantum-dot chains (QDCs) was demonstrated on GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs(001) layers by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In the MBE growth of a GaAs layer on a corrugated InGaAs/GaAs buffer layer, mesa-stripe structures with the {211}A side wall were spontaneously formed along the [1 10] direction. InAs QDCs were formed on the GaAs mesa stripes along the [1 10] direction. In particular, uniform InAs QDCs were fabricated on the vicinal GaAs(001) substrate, misoriented toward the [110] direction. The self-formation of QDCs was attributed to the misfit dislocation and step structure.