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The hetero-epitaxial strain relaxation in nano-scale systems plays a fundamental role in shaping\udtheir properties. Here, the elastic and plastic relaxation of self-assembled SiGe islands grown by\udsurface-thermal-diffusion from a local Ge solid source on Si(100) are studied by atomic force and\udtransmission electron microscopies, enabling the simultaneous investigation of the strain relaxation\udin different dynamical regimes. Islands grown by this technique remain dislocation-free and preserve\uda structural coherence with the substrate for a base width as large as 350 nm. The results indicate\udthat a delay of the plastic relaxation is promoted by an enhanced Si-Ge intermixing, induced\udby the surface-thermal-diffusion, which takes place already in the SiGe overlayer before the formation\udof a critical nucleus. The local entropy of mixing dominates, leading the system toward a thermodynamic\udequilibrium, where non-dislocated, shallow islands with a low residual stress are\udenergetically stable. These findings elucidate the role of the interface dynamics in modulating the\udlattice distortion at the nano-scale, and highlight the potential use of our growth strategy to create\udcomposition and strain-controlled nano-structures for new-generation devices

Delayed plastic relaxation limit in SiGe islands grown by Ge diffusion from a local source