Influence of buffer layer design on the photoluminescence of InAs quantum dots grown on GaAs/Si(100) substrates

The synthesis of GaAs layers on on-axis Si(100) substrates using a Si buffer layer is presented. It is shown that the use of an elastically strained In$_{0.1}$Ga$_{0.9}$As layer and In$_{0.15}$Ga$_{0.85}$As/GaAs superlattices, combined with cyclic thermal annealing, makes it possible to obtain relatively thin templates with smooth surfaces and a surface dislocation density of $\sim$8$\Omega$10$^7$ сm$^{-2}$. Heterostructures with quantum dots based on such buffer layers exhibit photoluminescence at $\lambda\approx$ 1250 nm at 300 K and carrier lifetimes comparable to those of similar structures grown on lattice-matched GaAs substrates. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility of creating efficient light-emitting quantum dot heterostructures on silicon.