Gallium arsenide (GaAs) island growth under SiO(2) nanodisks patterned on GaAs substrates

We report a growth phenomenon where uniform gallium arsenide (GaAs) islands were found to grow underneath an ordered array of SiO(2) nanodisks on a GaAs(100) substrate. Each island eventually grows into a pyramidal shape resulting in the toppling of the supported SiO(2) nanodisk. This phenomenon occurred consistently for each nanodisk across a large patterned area of approximately 50 x 50 microm(2) (with nanodisks of 210 nm diameter and 280 nm spacing). The growth mechanism is attributed to a combination of 'catalytic' growth and facet formation.