  We discuss the fine-tuning of the optical properties of self-assembled
quantum dots by the strain perturbation introduced by laser-induced surface
defects. We show experimentally that the quantum dot transition red-shifts,
independently of the actual position of the defect, and that such frequency
shift is about a factor five larger than the corresponding shift of a
micropillar cavity mode resonance. We present a simple model that accounts for
these experimental findings.
