Electron microscopy evidence of adatom mobility in amorphous germanium films

Abstract

Columnar structure in amorphous Ge films and decoration of cleavage steps and dislocation loops on the surface of cleaved rocksalt by the preferential nucleation of Ge adatoms have been observed by electron microscopy. These observations provide conclusive evidence of the existence of a finite mobility of migrating adatoms during the condensation of vacuum-deposited amorphous Ge films.