Highly sensitive and sequence-specific DNA sensors were fabricated based on silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with single stranded (ss) probe DNA molecules covalently immobilized on the nanowire surfaces. Label-free complementary (target) ss-DNA in sample solutions were recognized when the target DNA was hybridized with the probe DNA attached on the SiNW surfaces, producing a change of the conductance of the SiNWs. For a 12-mer oligonucletide probe, 25 pM of target DNA in solution was detected easily (signal/noise ratio > 6), whereas 12-mers with one base mismatch did not produce a signal above the background noise.

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Ge islands were deposited on Si(001) partially covered with patterned oxide. Selective Si was deposited on some wafers before Ge deposition to form raised Si(001) plateaus with well-defined sidewall facets. On narrow lines, the Ge islands locate preferentially at the edges of the raised Si(001) regions, and the preference is strongest on the narrowest patterns aligned along a 〈100〉 direction. For a 450 nm wide plateau aligned in this direction, all the islands are positioned along the edges of the pattern, with a 300 nm space near the center of the pattern free of Ge islands. The islands appear to be uniformly spaced along the pattern edges. On wider lines, several rows of islands are aligned near the edges of the pattern, with the order decreasing farther from the edge.

The evolution of the shape and size distributions of Ge islands on Si(001) during annealing after deposition has been studied at different temperatures and effective coverages. The initial distributions of square-based pyramids, elongated “hut” structures, faceted “dome-shaped” islands, and much larger “superdomes” depends on the deposition conditions. During annealing after deposition, the islands coarsen over a limited range of times and temperatures. Those pyramidal-shaped islands that grow transform to faceted, dome-shaped islands as they become larger. Initially dome-shaped islands that dissolve transform to a pyramidal shape as they become smaller during the process of dissolving. Outside of this coarsening regime, the islands can achieve a relatively stable, steady-state configuration, especially at lower temperatures. At higher temperatures, intermixing of Si into the Ge islands dominates, decreasing the strain energy and allowing larger islands to form. At lower and intermediate temperatures, the initial wetting layer is metastable, and some Ge transfers to the islands during the early stages of annealing.