Crystallographic orientation transition of InP islands on SrTiO3 substrates with the growth temperature

The structural properties of InP islands grown by molecular beam epitaxy on SrTiO3 substrates are studied. The evolution of the semiconducting islands size and density with growth temperature is described. The structural results reveal an original behavior: the islands orientation with respect to the substrate can be tuned with growth temperature. Moreover; X-ray diffraction results show that the islands are fully relaxed, which is in accordance with the specificities of the semiconductor/oxide interface. The structural transition is observed by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction.