Metastability and relaxation in tensile SiGe on Ge(001) virtual substrates

Journal Article · Sun Sep 21 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4896076· OSTI ID:22305992

Frigerio, Jacopo; Lodari, Mario; Chrastina, Daniel; Mondiali, Valeria; Isella, Giovanni ^[1]; Bollani, Monica ^[2]

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1. L-NESS, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Polo di Como, via Anzani 42, 22100 Como (Italy)
2. IFN-CNR, L-NESS, via Anzani 42, 22100 Como (Italy)

We systematically study the heteroepitaxy of SiGe alloys on Ge virtual substrates in order to understand strain relaxation processes and maximize the tensile strain in the SiGe layer. The degree of relaxation is measured by high-resolution x-ray diffraction, and surface morphology is characterized by atomic force microscopy. The results are analyzed in terms of a numerical model, which considers dislocation nucleation, multiplication, thermally activated glide, and strain-dependent blocking. Relaxation is found to be sensitive to growth rate and substrate temperature as well as epilayer misfit and thickness, and growth parameters are found which allow a SiGe film with over 4 GPa of tensile stress to be obtained.

• OSTI ID: 22305992
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 116; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
CRYSTAL GROWTH
DISLOCATIONS
FILMS
GERMANIUM
GERMANIUM SILICIDES
INTERFACES
LAYERS
PRESSURE RANGE GIGA PA
RELAXATION
RESOLUTION
STRAINS
STRESSES
SUBSTRATES
SURFACES
THICKNESS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION