Anisotropic behavior of surface roughening in lattice mismatched heteroepitaxial thin films
- Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
Strained layer semiconductor structures provide possibilities for novel electronic devices. Heteroepitaxial Si{sub 1{minus}x}Ge{sub x} thin films deposited on silicon substrates exhibit surface roughening via surface diffusion under the effect of a compressive stress which is caused by a lattice mismatch. In these films, surface roughening can take place in the form of ridges which can be aligned along <100> or <110> directions, depending on the film thickness. In this paper, the authors investigate this anisotropic dependence of surface roughening and present an analysis of it. They have studied the surface roughening behavior of 19% Ge and 22% Ge thin films subjected to controlled annealing experiments. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy have been used to study the morphology and microstructure of the surface ridges and the dislocations that form during annealing.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Office of Naval Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 467633
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960401--; ISBN 1-55899-339-8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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