U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

PUBLICATIONS

Critical Size for Shape Transition and Size Evolution of Ge Islands on Si (100)

Published

Author(s)

B Liu, C L. Berrie, J Bright, S R. Leone

Abstract

Atomic force microscopy is used to study the molecular beam epitaxy of Ge on Si(100) at different growth temperatures and coverages. Forgrowth temperatures ranging from 750 K to 900 K, at the early coarsening stage, an island shape transition is observed from shallow hut clusterto dome islands of higher aspect ratio. From the temperature dependence of the critical size for the shape transition, an energy barrier o0.26+0.08 eV is obtained. A kinetic picture of island shape evolution involving a net upward surface diffusion along island facets is proposedAt the late growth stage, islands significantly larger than hut clusters and domes begin to appear and grow much faster. Features such as trenchformation and denuded zones around the very large islands are discussed.
Citation
Physics Letters A
Pub Type
Journals

Keywords

atomic force microscopy, denuded zones, Ge Islands, shape transition, trench formation

Citation

Liu, B. , Berrie, C. , Bright, J. and Leone, S. (2021), Critical Size for Shape Transition and Size Evolution of Ge Islands on Si (100), Physics Letters A (Accessed May 1, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created October 12, 2021