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.