Strain field of a buried oxide aperture

Site-controlled and scalable growth of quantum dots in semiconductors is an active area of research important for a number of applications. In one approach the position of the quantum dots is determined by artificially engineered local strain fields in the growth surface. A more complete and accurate understanding of the growth process depends on the ability to accurately the strain, and this is what the authors pursue in this article using high-precision dark-field electron holography.