Abstract
We present reflection high-energy electron diffraction measurements of the evolution of surface morphology during molecular-beam epitaxy of Ge on Ge(001) and subsequent annealing. We find that there is a critical ‘‘kinetic roughening’’ temperature (375 °C) above which a smooth surface remains smooth during growth, but below which it roughens during growth. Surprisingly, smooth starting surfaces never appear to roughen without bound, but reach steady-state roughnesses which depend on temperature and deposition rate. The results can be fit empirically with simple phenomenological equations based on a competition between growth roughening and growth smoothening of a ‘‘pseudo-statistical’’ surface. Furthermore, growth-roughened surfaces tend to smoothen, after growth, at a rate consistent with a third-order power-law ripening mechanism.
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Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena
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