Abstract
Atomic force microscopy studies of Ge/Si(001) molecular beam epitaxy growth reveal a crucial new role of surface steps in the 2D to 3D transition. At or near step flow we show that {ital S}{sub {ital A}} steps undergo a stress-driven triangular step instability. The resulting spatial variation of surface strain, although small, can dramatically influence the activation barrier for 3D island nucleation. This provides a surprising kinetic route for the onset of 3D growth associated with the apex regions of triangular steps.
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