The Diffusion Mechanism of Ge During Oxidation of Si/SiGe Nanofins

Thornton, Chappel S.; Tuttle, Blair; Turner, Emily; Law, Mark E.; Pantelides, Sokrates T.; Wang, George T.; Jones, Kevin S.

doi:10.1021/acsami.2c05470

The Diffusion Mechanism of Ge During Oxidation of Si/SiGe Nanofins

Journal Article · Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c05470· OSTI ID:1877137

^[1]; Tuttle, Blair ^[2]; ^[1]; Law, Mark E. ^[1]; ^[3]; ^[4]; Jones, Kevin S. ^[1]

Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)
Pennsylvania State Univ.-Behrend, Erie, PA (United States); Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)
Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

A recently discovered, enhanced Ge diffusion mechanism along the oxidizing interface of Si/SiGe nanostructures has enabled the formation of single-crystal Si nanowires and quantum dots embedded in a defect-free, single-crystal SiGe matrix. Here, we report oxidation studies of Si/SiGe nanofins aimed at gaining a better understanding of this novel diffusion mechanism. Here, a superlattice of alternating Si/Si_0.7Ge_0.3 layers was grown and patterned into fins. After oxidation of the fins, the rate of Ge diffusion down the Si/SiO₂ interface was measured through the analysis of HAADF-STEM images. The activation energy for the diffusion of Ge down the sidewall was found to be 1.1 eV, which is less than one-quarter of the activation energy previously reported for Ge diffusion in bulk Si. Through a combination of experiments and DFT calculations, we propose that the redistribution of Ge occurs by diffusion along the Si/SiO₂ interface followed by a reintroduction into substitutional positions in the crystalline Si.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 1877137

Report Number(s):: SAND2022-8627J; 707618

Journal Information:: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Journal Name: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces Journal Issue: 25 Vol. 14; ISSN 1944-8244

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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