Ge (1 0 0) wafers were implanted with 100 keV Mn+ ions with a dose of 2 × 1016 ions/cm2 at different temperatures, ranging from 300 to 573 K. The surface morphology of implanted samples, analyzed with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy measurements, reveals for the 300–463 K implant temperature range the formation of a surface swelled and porous film, containing sponge-like structures. On the contrary, samples implanted in the 513–573 K temperature range present an atomically flat surface, with a roughness less than 1 nm, indicating that crystalline order has been preserved. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy depth profiling measurements indicate the presence of adsorbed oxygen in the porous layer of lower-temperature implanted samples, as well the presence of a large Mn concentration below the expected end of range for impinging ions. Mn and O concentrations at …