A method is presented for forming a Ge containing layer on a Si substrate. The method includes providing a crystalline Si substrate having a surface that has a crystallographic orientation, heating the Si substrate in a vacuum environment, exposing the Si substrate to a surfactant that is suitable for growth of the Ge containing layer on the crystalline Si using surfactant mediation, and thereafter growing the Ge containing layer on the surface of the heated Si substrate using a suitable sputtering technique. The conditions of the growth of the Ge containing layer are selected such that a thin Ge containing layer is formed on the surface of the Si substrate. The thin Ge containing layer has a surface that has crystallographic properties suitable for epitaxial growth of a layer of a further material on the surface of the thin Ge containing layer.