Numerical simulation of TEM images for In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots with various shapes

Abstract

We present a mathematical model and a tool chain for the numerical simulation of TEM images of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). This includes elasticity theory to obtain the strain profile coupled with the Darwin–Howie–Whelan equations, describing the propagation of the electron wave through the sample. We perform a simulation study on indium gallium arsenide QDs with different shapes and compare the resulting TEM images to experimental ones. This tool chain can be applied to generate a database of simulated TEM images, which is a key element of a novel concept for model-based geometry reconstruction of semiconductor QDs, involving machine learning techniques.