Mass transfer in Stranski–Krastanow growth of InAs on GaAs

We present a quantitative study of the evolution of the material contained in two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) surface features during the 2D–3D morphology transition in highly strained growth, using InAs/GaAs(001) as the vehicle. The results establish a varying mass transfer between 2D and 3D surface features with increasing InAs deposition. Quasi-3D (0.6–1.2 nm high) clusters are seen to mediate the 2D–3D morphology change and to play an important role in the mass redistribution on the surface.