For potential application to quantum mechanical devices, nano-composite thin films, consisting of GaAs quantum dots dispersed in SiO$_2$ glass matrix, were fabricated and studied in terms of structural, chemical, and optical properties. In order to form crystalline GaAs quantum dots at room temperature, uniformly dispersed in $SiO_2$matrix, the composite films were made to consist of alternating layers of GaAs and $SiO_2$in the manner of a superlattice using RF magnetron sputter deposition. Among different film samples, nominal thickness of an individual GaAs layer was varied with a total GaAs volume fraction fixed. From images of High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), the formation of GaAs quantum dots on SiO$_2$was shown to depend on GaAs nominal thickness. GaAs deposits were crystalline and GaAs compound-like chemically according to HRTEM and XPS analysis, respectively. From measurement of optical absorbance using a spectrophotometer, absorption edges were determined and compared among composite films of varying GaAs nominal thicknesses. A progressively larger shift of absorption edge was noticed toward a blue wavelength with decreasing GaAs nominal thickness, i.e. quantum dots size. Band gaps of the composite films were also determined from Tauc plots as well as from PL measurements, displaying a linear decrease with increasing GaAs nominal thickness.