Semiconductor quantum dots (QD) promise unique electronic, optical, and chemical properties, which can be exquisitely tuned by controlling the composition, size, and morphology. Semiconductor QDs have been synthesized primarily via two approaches, namely, epitaxial growth and wet-chemical synthesis. However, the properties of epitaxial QDs (eQDs) are susceptible to wetting layer formation and substrate dislocations, while colloidal QDs (cQDs) face fluorescence intermittency issues. Here, we report on the synthesis of a class of QDs that can overcome the fundamental limitations of eQDs and cQDs. By exploiting the sp