Influence of capping on strain, composition and shape of SiGe islands

The rearrangement of SiGe islands during the deposition of Si was studied by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution X-ray diffraction. With increasing silicon capping of the islands, an increasing flattening accompanied by a rising intermixing could be determined. Using a finite element calculation, which served as an input for X-ray simulations, the strain distribution within the islands was obtained.