Mechanisms of Si and Ge diffusion on surfactant terminated (111) silicon and germanium surfaces

Abstract Surfactant mediated growth of Ge layers and formation of small Ge clusters on Si(111) are promising assemblage processes with envisioned applications in areas such as nanoelectronics or photovoltaics. They critically depend on migration of Si and Ge adatoms on surfactant terminated Si(111) and Ge(111) surfaces. We address Si and Ge adsorption and migration on surfactant (Bi, Sb) terminated (111) surfaces of Si and strained Ge by comprehensively mapping potential energy surfaces using density functional calculations. The main migration paths are identified and corresponding energy barriers are reported. It is shown that the energy barrier for adatom migration through Bi or Sb surfactant trimers (by actually breaking the trimers) is virtually degenerate to the mechanism involving traveling of the adatom around the same surfactant structures. We also find a low-energy anchoring site that is suggested to act as a nucleation structure and to trigger the clustering process. These results suggest a fundamentally new picture for the whole Si(111) Bi(Sb) epitaxial process.