The organization of Ge "dome" islands in Ge/Si multilayers has been investi
gated by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Ge domes are fou
nd to spontaneously arrange in oblique stacks, replicating at a well-define
d angle from one bilayer to the next. The formation of oblique island stack
s is governed by a complex interplay of surface strain, generated by the al
ready buried islands, and surface curvature, caused by the inherent tendenc
y of large domes to carve out material from the surrounding planar substrat
e. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.