ABSTRACT
In this chapter, strain-driven morphological instabilities and transitions in the Ge(Si)–Si(1 0 0) system
are described, and current understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing these phenomena
summarized. The degree to which these processes may be controlled and organized to produce arrays of
semiconductor ‘‘quantum dots’’ (QDs) with potential nanoelectronic or nanophotonic applications is
also discussed. Due to length limitations these discussions are necessarily limited to key concepts and
phenomena; for more detailed discussions of fundamental phenomena, several excellent, longer reviews
exist [For example, 1-3]. A note on nomenclature: in the subsequent discussion, the format GexSi1x means that the structures under discussion are comprised explicitly of an alloy of Ge and Si, the format
Ge(Si) means they are comprised of either pure Ge or GexSi1x alloy material.
