Formation of Ge islands from a Ge layer on Si substrate during post-growth annealing

We have deposited a 12 nm thick Ge layer on Si(1 0 0) held at 200 °C by thermal evaporation under high vacuum conditions. Upon subsequent thermal annealing in vacuum, self-assembled growth of nanostructural Ge islands on the Ge layer occurred. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) were used to characterize such layers. GISAXS measurements evidenced the formation of cylinder shaped structures upon annealing at 700 °C, which was confirmed by AFM measurements with a very sharp tip. A Ge mass transport from the layer to the islands was inferred by X-ray reflectivity and an activation energy of 0.40 ± 0.10 eV for such a process was calculated.