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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 InxGa1 - xAs 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

On the complex behavior of strain relaxation in (In,Ga)As/GaAs (001) quantum dot molecules Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 023103 (2009); 10.1063/1.3176409Competition between strain-induced and temperature-controlled nucleation of InAs/GaAs quantum dots

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