title: The role of Si interstitials in the migration and growth of Ge nanocrystallites under thermal annealing in an oxidizing ambient.
abstract: We report a unique growth and migration behavior of Ge nanocrystallites mediated by the presence of Si interstitials under thermal annealing at 900°C within an H2O ambient. The Ge nanocrystallites were previously generated by the selective oxidation of SiGe nanopillars and appeared to be very sensitive to the presence of Si interstitials that come either from adjacent Si3N4 layers or from within the oxidized nanopillars. A cooperative mechanism is proposed, wherein the Si interstitials aid in both the migration and coarsening of these Ge nanocrystallites through Ostwald ripening, while the Ge nanocrystallites, in turn, appear to enhance the generation of Si interstitials through catalytic decomposition of the Si-bearing layers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and the Center for Nano Science and Technology, National Central University, 300 JongDa Road, ChungLi 32001, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuan-Hung
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and the Center for Nano Science and Technology, National Central University, 300 JongDa Road, ChungLi 32001, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Private Consultant, La Canada, CA 91011, USA.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and the Center for Nano Science and Technology, National Central University, 300 JongDa Road, ChungLi 32001, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Wen
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Annealing; Germanium nanocrystallites; Migration