Cuspidal pit formation during the growth of SixGe1−x strained films

We have studied the formation of cuspidal pits during the growth of strained SixGe1−x alloy layers at relatively high supersaturations. The pit formation is directly linked to strain in the alloy layer, and we propose a heterogeneous formation mechanism in which the pits develop from stress‐driven surface diffusion associated with a localized initial perturbation of the buffer layer surface.