Si in-diffusion during the 3D islanding of Ge/Si(001) at high temperatures

Journal article

The 3D islands of the Stranski-Krastanow system Ge/Si(001) that form either during the annealing of previously flat and nearly strain-relieved Ge films at 1020 K or directly at the Ge deposition at 1020 K are found to be composed of a mixture of Ge and Si, thus pointing to considerable interdiffusion at 1020 K. Direct measurement of the elastic energy unambiguously reveals that neither the 3D islanding nor the Si in-diffusion are driven by the reduction of misfit strain; this strain being the result of increasing configurational entropy.

Authors: Walz, J; Hesjedal, T; Chilla, E; Koch, R

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag GmbH and Company KG
• Journal: APPLIED PHYSICS A-MATERIALS SCIENCE and PROCESSING
• Volume: 69
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 467-470
• Publication date: 1999-10-01
• DOI: 10.1007/s003390051035
• EISSN: 1432-0630
• ISSN: 0947-8396
• Language: English