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The growth of Si and Ge on silicon nitride surfaces has been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and Auger electron spectrometer (AES). In the early stages, Si or Ge nanoclusters appeared irrespective of the different substrates. When annealed, the Si clusters were more stable against coalescence than those of Ge. As these clusters continued to grow, crystalline facets started to form. Both Si and Ge islands grew predominantly with (111)-oriented top facets on the crystalline Si3N4(0001)/Si(111). By contrast, they both grew in random orientation on the amorphous Si3N4 surface. Low-index facets such as (111) and (001) coexisted with high-index facets such as (113). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]