Increase of island density via formation of secondary ordered islands on pit-patterned Si (001) substrates

摘要

Site-controlled groups of Ge islands are grown on pit-patterned Si (001) substrates. By varying the deposited amount of Ge, we find that the growth starts with the formation of a single island at the pit bottom and then proceeds to the formation of a highly symmetric Ge island group around the pit top. A bimodal size distribution of dome-shaped islands at the bottom and at the top corners of the pits is observed. A growth mechanism is proposed to qualitatively explain these phenomena. Our experiments help to promote a further understanding of Ge island growth on patterned substrates.