Growth of GeSi nanoislands on nanotip-patterned Si (100) substrates with a stress-induced self-limiting interdiffusion

GeSi nanoislands grown on nanotip pre-patterned Si substrates at various temperatures are investigated. Nanoislands with a high density and narrow size distribution can be obtained within an intermediate temperature range, and the Ge atom diffusion length is comparable to half of the average distance of the Si nanotips. The Ge concentration distributions at the center and edge of the GeSi nanoislands are measured by scanning transmission electron microscopy. The results reveal that there is a Si core at the center of the GeSi nanoisland, but the Ge concentration presents a layered distribution above the Si nanotips. The radial component of the stress field in Ge layer near the Ge/Si interface on the planar, and the nanotip regions is qualitatively discussed. The difference of the stress field reveals that the experimentally observed concentration profile can be ascribed to the stress-induced interdiffusion self-limiting effect of the Si nanotips.