Interface formation in IV-IV heterostructures: The Si/Sn system.

The concept of strained layer epitaxy has stimulated new interest in the growth of IV-IV heterostructures. This summary abstract describes a surface science study of the initial stages of layered growth in the Sn/Si system. Under a variety of conditions of temperature (300K-950K) and surface treatment we find the deposition mode to correspond to Stranski-Krastanov growth, i.e. approximately one temperature independent uniform monolayer of Sn deposited on Si, followed by Sn islanding. The island size distributions are strongly peaked about the average value. The propensity toward islanding has been measured as a function of surface preparation and for different crystallographic faces. These results characterize the growth process of islands in the Sn/Si system and indicate the sensitivity of this mechanism to surface phenomena.