Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Theoretical Calculation and Experimental Verification for Dislocation Reduction in Germanium Epitaxial Layers with Semicylindrical Voids on Silicon
Published on: July 17, 2020
Controlled self-organization of atom vacancies in monatomic gallium layers
P C Snijders1, E J Moon, C González
1Kavli Institute of NanoScience Delft, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands. snijderspc@ornl.gov
Abstract:
Ga adsorption on the Si(112) surface results in the formation of pseudomorphic Ga atom chains. Compressive strain in these atom chains is relieved via creation of adatom vacancies and their self-organization into meandering vacancy lines. The average spacing between these line defects can be controlled, within limits, by adjusting the chemical potential mu of the Ga adatoms. We derive a lattice model that quantitatively connects density functional theory (DFT) calculations for perfectly ordered structures with the fluctuating disorder seen in experiment and the experimental control parameter mu. This hybrid approach of lattice modeling and DFT can be applied to other examples of line defects in heteroepitaxy.
Related Concept Videos
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects
Lattice Centering and Coordination Number
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects
Structures of Solids
Fermi Level Dynamics
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...

