Formation of Ge nanoripples on vicinal Si (1110): from Stranski-Krastanow seeds to a perfectly faceted wetting layer

Ge growth on high-indexed Si (1110) is shown to result in the spontaneous formation of a perfectly {105} faceted one-dimensional nanoripple structure. This evolution differs from the usual Stranski-Krastanow growth mode because from initial ripple seeds a faceted Ge layer is formed that extends down to the heterointerface. Ab initio calculations reveal that ripple formation is mainly driven by lowering of surface energy rather than by elastic strain relief and the onset is governed by the edge energy of the ripple facets. Wavelike ripple replication is identified as an effective kinetic pathway for the transformation process.