Growth temperature altered morphology of Ge nanocolumns

Abstract

Abstract Germanium nanocolumns grown by glancing angle deposition on Si(100) substrates and prepatterned substrates comprising of SiO 2 nanospheres demonstrated an altered morphology that is greatly influenced by the substrate temperature ( T S ). Surface diffusion‐driven mass transport and increased adatom mobility at homologous temperatures T S / T M ≈ 0.34 and 0.39 ( T M melting temperature of Ge) augmented fibrous‐columnar and intracolumnar growth, respectively. Further increment of the substrate temperature provoked column merging and column broadening. The degree of film crystallinity increased while T S increased from 200 to 340 °C, shifting the preferential crystallite orientation from (111) to (220).