Role of strain-dependent surface energies in Ge/Si(100) island formation.
Formation energies for Ge/Si(100) pyramidal islands are computed combining continuum calculations of strain energy with first-principles-computed strain-dependent surface energies. The strain dependence of surface energy is critically impacted by the presence of strain-induced changes in the Ge {100} surface reconstruction. The appreciable strain dependencies of rebonded-step {105} and dimer-vacancy-line-reconstructed {100} surface energies are estimated to give rise to a significant reduction in the surface contribution to island formation energies.
Shklyaev
O E
OE
Department of Engineering Science and Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Beck
M J
MJ
Asta
M
M
Miksis
M J
MJ
Voorhees
P W
PW