Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 3 December 1999:
Vol. 286. no. 5446, pp. 1931 - 1934
DOI: 10.1126/science.286.5446.1931
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Transition States Between Pyramids and Domes During Ge/Si Island Growth

F. M. Ross, * R. M. Tromp, M. C. Reuter

Real-time observations were made of the shape change from pyramids to domes during the growth of germanium-silicon islands on silicon (001). Small islands are pyramidal in shape, whereas larger islands are dome-shaped. During growth, the transition from pyramids to domes occurs through a series of asymmetric transition states with increasing numbers of highly inclined facets. Postgrowth annealing of pyramids results in a similar shape change process. The transition shapes are temperature dependent and transform reversibly to the final dome shape during cooling. These results are consistent with an anomalous coarsening model for island growth.

IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Post Office Box 218, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: fmross{at}us.ibm.com

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Surface Stress and Thermodynamic Nanoscale Size Selection.
J. B. Hannon, J. Tersoff, and R. M. Tromp (2002)
Science 295, 299-301
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)