The effects of thermal annealing in Si base p-n diode with self-assembled Ge dots stacked in eight layers structure are investigated. The effects of annealing are discussed based on the photovoltage spectra, the PL spectra and the Raman spectra. Three main effects occur after thermal annealing: the reduction of point defects, the intermixing of Si-Ge and the strain relaxation. The experimental result shows that 800 degrees C might be a suitable annealing temperature for photovoltaic applications. (c) 2007 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.