Self-organization of nanostructures on Si wafers using surface structure control

The final goal of nanofabrication on Si wafers is the high-density integration of atomically controlled structures on the wafer scale. This paper describes a scenario for nanointegration through the control of the self-organization processes on the Si surfaces. It is demonstrated here that atomic steps on Si(111) surfaces can be regularly rearranged by using a patterning-assisted control and that Ge quantum-dot networks can be self-ordered by controlling the surface structures. Interface reaction controls to equip Si/Ge nanostructures with buried oxide and silicide layers required for device applications are presented. These techniques form the basis of a new approach for nanostructure integration on the wafer scale. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.