Shape oscillations: A walk through the phase diagram of strained islands

Journal Article · Thu Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.75.113307· OSTI ID:20957775

Stoffel, M; Rastelli, A; Merdzhanova, T ^[1]; Stangl, J; Bauer, G ^[2]; Schmidt, O G ^[1]

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1. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)
2. Institute for Semiconductor Physics, Johannes-Kepler-Universitaet, A-4040 Linz (Austria)

We observe that the morphology of strained SiGe/Si(001) islands oscillates between shallow and steeper shapes during extensive in situ annealing at the growth temperature. We attribute this result to a competition between coarsening and Si-Ge intermixing as paths to strain relaxation. A simple model, in which the equilibrium island shape depends on volume and the average misfit with the substrate, accounts for the observed behavior. Dislocated islands evolve similarly to coherent islands, with no introduction of additional dislocations throughout the annealing.

• OSTI ID: 20957775
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 75, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.75.113307; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ANNEALING
DISLOCATIONS
EPITAXY
GERMANIUM ALLOYS
GERMANIUM SILICIDES
LAYERS
MORPHOLOGY
OSCILLATIONS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
RELAXATION
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILICON
SILICON ALLOYS
STRAINS
SUBSTRATES