Epitaxial DySi2 nanowire formation on stepped si(111) -: art. no. 143110

We report the growth of epitaxial DySi2 nanowires (NW) with a single orientation on miscut Si(111). Using high-resolution electron microscopy, we determine that the islands are hexagonal DySi2 with orientation DySi2(0001)parallel to Si(111), corresponding to a near-perfect lattice match. The NW islands develop extended defects that correlate perfectly with individual step bunches at the buried interface, produced during growth. By contrast, islands grown on step-free substrates develop a broad, two-dimensional shape with no defects. We suggest that the NW shape results from the energy cost of extended defects, which inhibits growth across step edges. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.