Step-by-step capping and strain state of GaN/AlN quantum dots studied by grazing-incidence diffraction anomalous fine structure

The investigation of small-size embedded nanostructures, by a combination of complementary anomalous diffraction techniques, is reported. GaN quantum dots (QD's), grown by molecular beam epitaxy in a modified Stranski-Krastanow mode, are studied in terms of strain and local environment, as a function of the AlN cap layer thickness, by means of grazing-incidence anomalous diffraction. That is, the x-ray photon energy is tuned across the Ga absorption K edge which makes diffraction chemically selective. Measurement of hkl scans, close to the AlN (30 (3) over bar0) Bragg reflection, at several energies across the Ga K edge, allows the extraction of the Ga partial structure factor, from which the in-plane strain of GaN QD's is deduced. From the fixed-Q energy-dependent diffracted intensity spectra, measured for diffraction-selected isostrain regions corresponding to the average in-plane strain state of the QD's, quantitative information regarding the composition and out-of-plane strain has been obtained. We recover the in-plane and out-of-plane strains in the dots. The comparison to the biaxial elastic strain in a pseudomorphic layer indicates a tendency to an overstrained regime.