Molecular dynamics simulations with the Tersoff potential of the strain distribution around 60° misfit dislocation in a hetero-epitaxial SiGe film confirmed that highly compressed and expanded, cylindrical nanometer-sized regions appear on opposite sides of the (111) glide plane. Such a configuration was suggested to generate opposite chemical potential gradients for Si and Ge diffusion and, as verified by a Monte Carlo simulation, in the formation of Si-rich and Ge-rich nanowires along the dislocation core. This model was supported by photoluminescence measurements as a function of annealing temperature and time.

Formation of Strain-Induced Si-Rich and Ge-Rich Nanowires at Misfit Dislocations in SiGe - a Model Supported by Photoluminescence Data. L.Martinelli, A.Marzegalli, P.Raiteri, M.Bollani, F.Montalenti, L.Miglio, D.Chrastina, G.Isella, H.von Känel: Applied Physics Letters, 2004, 84[15], 2895-7