Inhomogeneous strain relaxation in etched quantum dots and wires: From strain distributions to piezoelectric fields and band-edge profiles

Inhomogeneous strain relaxation in quantum dots etched from biaxially strained quantum wells is calculated. Strain-induced band effects and piezoelectric potentials are discussed for several wires and dots (mainly II-VI systems, but results are generalized to other zinc-blende systems such as InₓGa_1-xAs/GaAs). General trends for varying design parameters of the nanostructures are given. Results are compared to data obtained from optical spectroscopy experiments. The case of a system under tensile strain that evidences an unexpected relaxation phenomenon is also discussed both experimentally and theoretically.