Abstract
The nucleation and growth of 6-ML-thick Ge films on Si(111) surfaces in solid phase epitaxy have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Crystalline three-dimensional (3D)-islands and small grains with irregular shapes were initially formed. The 3D-islands preferentially grow with the expense of the small grains, which corresponds to the coarsening process. Considering the results of STM observation, we discuss the origin of the activation energy which was obtained by growth temperature dependence of the 3D-island density.
