Photoluminescence tuning of stacked submonolayer (SML) InAs nanostructures across the 2D to 3D transition

We report the precise and broadband tuning of the photoluminescence (PL) from a stacked submonolayer (SML) InAs nanostructure across the 2D to 3D transition. We have recently reported the growth of stacked SML InAs nanostructures by molecular beam epitaxy, which leads to the formation of two distinct types of SML nanostructures: 2D islands and 3D structures. In contrast to the well-investigated transition in Stranski–Krastanov (SK) growth of InAs nanostructures, the transition in SML growth is still largely unexplored. Here, the properties of three- and four-stack SML InAs nanostructures are investigated by PL measurements and are interpreted in the context of the transition. At the transition, a characteristic change in the PL is observed, while the controllability of the PL is maintained across the transition. Furthermore, control of the transition itself is possible by changing the SML stack configuration. A brief comparison with the SK transition is also discussed.