STRESS-INDUCED SELF-ORGANIZATION OF NANOSCALE STRUCTURES IN SIGE SI MULTILAYER FILMS/

In the growth of Si1-xGex films on Si(001), the growth front undergoes a series of elastic stress relief mechanisms. We use these mechanisms in the molecular-beam-epitaxy growth of SiGe/Si superlattices to crea te relatively periodic surface and interface patterns of small coheren t {105}-faceted SiGe crystallites. The self-organization of these isla nds is affected in different ways by tuning substrate miscut, alloy co mposition, and layer thickness.