FORMATION OF SELF-ASSEMBLED QUANTUM WIRES DURING EPITAXIAL-GROWTH OF STRAINED GESN ALLOYS ON GE(100) - TRENCH EXCAVATION BY MIGRATING SN ISLANDS

A pattern of trenches and wires oriented along [100] directions was fo rmed during epitaxial growth of GeSn alloys on Ge(100). The trenches a ppear as self-avoiding random walks at low densities and become organi zed into domains at higher densities. These patterns are believed to b e caused by the migration of Sn islands on the surface, induced by dif fusion of Ge from one side of the Sn island to the other. This morphol ogical evolution is thought to be a kinetic pathway for phase separati on of strained thin films and may be utilized for high-throughput crea tion of nanoscale patterns.