Quasi-single crystal Ge films were grown on cube textured Ni substrate at a temperature of 350 degrees C using an insulating buffer layer of CaF2. A direct deposition of Ge on Ni at 350 degrees C was shown to alloy with Ni. From x-ray pole figure analysis, it was shown that Ge grew epitaxially with the same orientation as CaF2 and the dispersions in the out-of-plane and in-plane directions were found to be 1.7 +/- 0.1 degrees and 6 +/- 1 degrees, respectively. In the out-of-plane direction, Ge[111]parallel to CaF2[111]parallel to Ni[001]. In addition, the Ge consisted of four equivalent in-plane oriented domains such that two mutually orthogonal directions: Ge<<(2)over bar>11> and Ge<0<(1)over bar>1> are parallel to mutually orthogonal directions: Ni <<(1)over bar>10> and Ni< <(1)over bar>(1) over bar0>, respectively, of the Ni(001) surface. This was shown to originate from the four equivalent in-plane oriented domains of CaF2 created to minimize the mismatch strain between CaF2 and Ni in those directions. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.