Formation of Ge nanoislands on pure and oxidized Si surfaces by MBE

Abstract

The discussion deals with experimental data on the process of formation of self-organized Ge islands on an oxidized atomically pure Si(100) surface. Unlike the Stranski–Krastanow mechanism, which is characteristic of Ge growth on a pure silicon surface, the Volmer–Weber growth mechanism is observed on the oxidized silicon surface. The growth process is accompanied by a considerable change (up to 7%) in the surface unit cell of Ge relative to the parameters of Si. The generated nanoislands are less than 10 nm in base size and have a density of more than 2 × 1012 cm−2 for a Ge film not thicker than five monolayers. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)