Nanostructuring in Ge by self-ion implantation

We report here a detailed study about the formation and self-organization of nanoscale structures during ion beam implantation at room temperature of 300 keV Ge+ in Ge as a function of the ion fluence in the range between 1 x 10(14) to 4 x 10(16) cm(-2). Microexplosions characterize the morphology of the swelled material; a random cellular structure consisting of cells surrounded by amorphous Ge ripples has been observed and studied in details by combining atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. c 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3372757]