Dependence of critical thickness of strained InAs layer on growth rate

We observed the growth rate dependence of the critical thickness of a strained InAs layer on an InP substrate. The critical layer thickness increases, up to 10 nm, with increase in growth rate. This InAs critical layer thickness (10 nm) is twice as thick as the previously reported critical layer thickness (4 nm). From systematic experiments, we conclude that the InAs critical layer thickness dependence on growth rate is caused by a slow transition from a metastable uniform film to stable 3-dimensional islands during InAs growth.