OBSERVATION OF LATERAL CONFINEMENT EFFECT IN GE QUANTUM WIRES SELF-ALIGNED AT STEP EDGES ON SI(100)

Spontaneous formation of step-edge Ge quantum wires and lateral quantu m confinement effect are clearly observed in Si submonolayer-Ge/Si het erostructures grown on Si(100). By depositing submonolayer equivalent Ge (Q), the Ge atoms are found to line up in a wire-like fashion at th e [0(1) over bar1$] step edges as revealed by plan-view transmission e lectron microscopy. Photoluminescence (PL) peak energy shift with Q du e to lateral quantum confinement of holes is clearly observed, and PL features characteristic of the quasi-one-dimensional system are also a ddressed. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.