Influence of surface roughness on a change in the growth mode from two-dimensional to three-dimensional for strained SiGe heterostructures

The influence of the surface microroughness on the critical thickness for the two-dimensional growth of strained SiGe structures on Si(001) and Ge(001) substrates is investigated. A decrease in the critical thickness for the two-dimensional growth of Ge films with increasing number of lattice periods or a decrease in the thickness of Si spacer layers is found for Ge/Si lattices grown on Si(001) substrates. This change is related to an increase in the surface roughness with the accumulation of elastic energy in compressed structures. A comparative study of the growth of SiGe structures on Si(001) and Ge(001) substrates shows that the critical thickness for the two-dimensional growth of tensile-strained layers is much larger than for compressed layers in a wide range of SiGe-layer compositions at an identical (in magnitude) lattice mismatch between the film and substrate.     

用减压化学气相沉积技术制备应变硅材料

利用减压化学气相沉积技术，制备出应变Si/弛豫Si0.9Ge0.1/渐变组分弛豫SiGe/Si衬底. 通过控制组分渐变SiGe过渡层的组分梯度和适当优化弛豫SiGe层的外延生长工艺，有效地降低了表面粗糙度和位错密度.与Ge组分突变相比，采用线性渐变组分后，应变硅材料表面粗糙度从3.07nm减小到0.75nm，位错密度约为5E4cm-2，表面应变硅层应变度约为0.45%.     

Pure germanium epitaxial growth on thin strained silicon-germanium graded layers on bulk silicon substrate for high-mobility channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

We demonstrate epitaxially grown high-quality pure germanium (Ge) on bulk silicon (Si) substrates by ultra-high-vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHVCVD) without involving growth of thick relaxed SiGe buffer layers. The Ge layer is grown on thin compressively strained SiGe layers with rapidly varying Ge mole fraction on Si substrates resulting in several SiGe interfaces between the Si substrate and the pure Ge layer at the surface. The presence of such interfaces between the Si substrate and the Ge layer results in blocking threading dislocation defects, leading to a defect-free pure Ge epitaxial layer on the top. Results from various material characterization techniques on these grown films are shown. In addition, capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors fabricated on this structure are also presented, showing that the grown structure is ideal for high-mobility metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor applications.     

RPCVD生长SiGe薄膜及其性能研究

利用应用材料公司外延设备,在Si(001)衬底上,通过RPCVD方式生长出完全应变、无位错的SiGe外延层.通过X射线衍射和原子力显微镜测试技术,得到了外延层Ge摩尔分数、外延层厚度、生长速率以及表面粗糙度等参数,研究了运用RPCVD方法制备的应变SiGe外延层的生长特性以及薄膜特性.结果表明,在660℃所生长的薄膜,其XRD图像均出现了Pendelossung条纹,表明薄膜质量较好.Ge摩尔分数高达16.5%.薄膜表面粗糙度RMS在0.3～0.6nm.     

Special features of the formation of Ge(Si) islands on the relaxed Si1−xGex/Si(001) buffer layers

The results of studying the growth of self-assembled Ge(Si) islands on relaxed Si_1?xGe_x/Si(001) buffer layers (x≈25%), with a low surface roughness are reported. It is shown that the growth of self-assembled islands on the buffer SiGe layers is qualitatively similar to the growth of islands on the Si (001) surface. It is found that a variation in the surface morphology (the transition from dome-to hut-shaped islands) in the case of island growth on the relaxed SiGe buffer layers occurs at a higher temperature than for the Ge(Si)/Si(001) islands. This effect can be caused by both a lesser mismatch between the crystal lattices of an island and the buffer layer and a somewhat higher surface density of islands, when they are grown on an SiGe buffer layer.     

Fabrication of thick, high-quality strained SiGe layer on ultra-thin silicon-on-insulator and modeling of film strain

Fabrication of a thick strained SiGe layer on bulk silicon is hampered by the lattice mismatch and difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between Si and SiGe, and a high Ge content leads to severe strain in the SiGe film. When the thickness of the SiGe film is above a critical value (90 nm for 18% Ge), drastic deterioration of the film properties as well as dislocations will result. In comparison, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate with a thin top Si layer can mitigate the problems and so a thick SiGe layer with high Ge concentration can conceivably be synthesized. In the work reported here, a 110 nm thick high-quality strained Si_0.82Ge_0.18 layer was fabricated on an ultra-thin SOI substrate with a 30 nm top silicon layer using ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHVCVD). The thickness of the SiGe layer is larger than the critical thickness on bulk Si. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) reveals that the SiGe layer is dislocation-free and the atoms at the SiGe/Si interface are well aligned, even though X-ray diffraction (XRD) data indicate that the SiGe film is highly strained. The strain factors determined from the XRD and Raman results agree well.     

Photoluminescence line width of self-assembled Ge(Si) islands arranged between strained Si layers

The effect of variations in the strained Si layer thicknesses, measurement temperature, and optical excitation power on the width of the photoluminescence line produced by self-assembled Ge(Si) nanoislands, which are grown on relaxed SiGe/Si(001) buffer layers and arranged between strained Si layers, is studied. It is shown that the width of the photoluminescence line related to the Ge(Si) islands can be decreased or increased by varying the thickness of strained Si layers lying above and under the islands. A decrease in the width of the photoluminescence line of the Ge(Si) islands to widths comparable with the width of the photoluminescence line of quantum dot (QD) structures based on direct-gap InAs/GaAs semiconductors is attained with consideration of diffusive smearing of the strained Si layer lying above the islands.     

Si基外延Ge薄膜及退火对其特性的影响研究

采用超高真空化学气相沉积(UHV-CVD)系统,用低温Ge缓冲层技术在Si衬底上外延了张应变Ge薄膜.扫描电镜(TEM)图表明Si基外延Ge薄膜拥有低的位错密度,原子力显微镜(AFM)测试Ge层表面粗糙度仅为1.2 nm.对Si基外延Ge薄膜进行了不同温度下的退火,并用双晶X射线衍射(DCXRD)曲线和Raman谱进行...     

应变Si1-xGex沟道PMOSFET空穴局域化研究

为充分利用应变 Si Ge材料相对于 Si较高的空穴迁移率 ,研究了 Si/Si Ge/Si PMOSFET中垂直结构和参数同沟道开启及空穴分布之间的依赖关系。在理论分析的基础上 ,以数值模拟为手段 ,研究了栅氧化层厚度、Si帽层厚度、Si Ge层 Ge组分及厚度、缓冲层厚度及衬底掺杂浓度对阈值电压、交越电压和空穴分布的影响与作用 ,特别强调了 δ掺杂的意义。模拟和分析表明 ,栅氧化层厚度、Si帽层厚度、Si Ge层 Ge组分、衬底掺杂浓度及 δ掺杂剂量是决定空穴分布的主要因素 ,而 Si Ge层厚度、缓冲层厚度和隔离层厚度对空穴分布并不敏感。最后总结了沟道反型及空穴分布随垂直结构及参数变化的一般规律 ,为优化器件设计提供了参考。     

Low threading dislocation density Ge deposited on Si (1 0 0) using RPCVD

Epitaxial Ge layer growth of low threading dislocation density (TDD) and low surface roughness on Si (1 0 0) surface is investigated using a single wafer reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) system. Thin seed Ge layer is deposited at 300 °C at first to form two-dimensional Ge surface followed by thick Ge growth at 550 °C. Root mean square of roughness (RMS) of ∼0.45 nm is achieved. As-deposited Ge layers show high TDD of e.g. ∼4 × 10⁸ cm⁻² for a 4.7 μm thick Ge layer thickness. The TDD is decreasing with increasing Ge thickness. By applying a postannealing process at 800 °C, the TDD is decreased by one order of magnitude. By introducing several cycle of annealing during the Ge growth interrupting the Ge deposition, TDD as low as ∼7 × 10⁵ cm⁻² is achieved for 4.7 μm Ge thick layer. Surface roughness of the Ge sample with the cyclic annealing process is in the same level as without annealing process (RMS of ∼0.44 nm). The Ge layers are tensile strained as a result of a higher thermal expansion coefficient of Ge compared to Si in the cooling process down to room temperature. Enhanced Si diffusion was observed for annealed Ge samples. Direct band-to-band luminescence of the Ge layer grown on Si is demonstrated.     

Tensile-Strained Germanium CMOS Integration on Silicon

Monolithic integration of tensile-strained Si/ Germanium (Ge)-channel n-MOS and tensile-strained Ge p-MOS with ultrathin (equivalent oxide thickness ~14 Aring) HfO₂ gate dielectric and TaN gate stack on Si substrate is demonstrated. Defect-free Ge layer (279 nm) grown by ultrahigh vacuum chemical-vapor deposition is achieved using a two-step Ge-growth technique coupled with compliant Si/SiGe buffer layers. The epi-Ge layer experiences tensile strain of up to ~0.67% and exhibits a peak hole mobility of 250 cm²/V ldr s which is 100% higher than the universal Si hole mobility. The gate leakage current is two orders of magnitude lower compared to the reported results on Ge bulk.     

采用SiGe虚拟衬底高迁移率应变硅材料的制备和表征

研究了生长在弛豫Si0.79Ge0.21/梯度Si1-xGex/Si虚拟衬底上的应变硅材料的制备和表征,这一结构是由减压外延气相沉积系统制作的.根据双晶X射线衍射计算出固定组分SiGe层的Ge浓度和梯度组分SiGe层的梯度,并由二次离子质谱仪测量验证.由原子力显微术和喇曼光谱测试结果得到应变硅帽层的表面粗糙度均方根和应变度分别为2.36nm和0.83%;穿透位错密度约为4×104cm-2.此外,发现即使经受了高热开销过程,应变硅层的应变仍保持不变.分别在应变硅和无应变的体硅沟道上制作了nMOSFET器件,并对它们进行了测量.相对于同一流程的体硅MOSFET,室温下观测到应变硅器件中电子的低场迁移率显著增强,约为85%.     

采用SiGe虚拟衬底高迁移率应变硅材料的制备和表征

研究了生长在弛豫Si0.79Ge0.21/梯度Si1-xGex/Si虚拟衬底上的应变硅材料的制备和表征,这一结构是由减压外延气相沉积系统制作的.根据双晶X射线衍射计算出固定组分SiGe层的Ge浓度和梯度组分SiGe层的梯度,并由二次离子质谱仪测量验证.由原子力显微术和喇曼光谱测试结果得到应变硅帽层的表面粗糙度均方根和应变度分别为2.36nm和0.83%;穿透位错密度约为4×104cm-2.此外,发现即使经受了高热开销过程,应变硅层的应变仍保持不变.分别在应变硅和无应变的体硅沟道上制作了nMOSFET器件,并对它们进行了测量.相对于同一流程的体硅MOSFET,室温下观测到应变硅器件中电子的低场迁移率显著增强,约为85%.     

Structural characterization of thick, high-quality epitaxial Ge on Si substrates grown by low-energy plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

In this paper, we report on the growth of epitaxial Ge on a Si substrate by means of low-energy plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LEPECVD). A Si_1?xGe_x graded buffer layer is used between the silicon substrate and the epitaxial Ge layer to reduce the threading dislocation density resulting from the lattice mismatch between Si and Ge. An advantage of the LEPECVD technique is the high growth rate achievable (on the order of 40 Å/sec), allowing thick SiGe graded buffer layers to be grown faster than by other epitaxial techniques and thereby increasing throughput in order to make such structures more manufacturable. We have achieved relaxed Ge on a silicon substrate with a threading dislocation density of 1 × 10⁵ cm^?2, which is 4?10x lower than previously reported results.     

Effect of growth temperature on photoluminescence of self-assembled Ge(Si) islands confined between strained Si layers

The effect of growth temperature on photoluminescence is studied for structures with Ge(Si) islands grown on relaxed SiGe/Si(001) buffer layers and confined between strained Si layers. It is shown that, with decreasing growth temperature in the range from 700 to 630°C, the photoluminescence peak associated with the islands shifts to lower energies, which is due to the increase in Ge content in the islands and to suppression of degradation of the strained Si layers. The experimentally observed shift of the photoluminescence peak to higher energies with decreasing temperature from 630 to 600°C is attributed to the change in the type of the islands from domelike to hutlike in this temperature range. This change is accompanied by an abrupt decrease in the average height of the islands. The larger width of the photoluminescence peak produced by the hut islands in comparison with the width of the peak produced by the domelike islands is interpreted as a result of a wider size dispersion of the hutlike islands.     

Mechanisms determining three-dimensional SiGe lsland density on Si(001)

Thin, coherently strained, films of SiGe were deposited on Si(001) in the Stranski-Krastanow (SK) growth mode to form small, faceted, dislocation-free-three-dimensional (3D) islands. The number density of these islands was determined as functions of SiGe alloy composition, growth rate, and substrate temperature during growth. From these experiments, the classical model of 3D island nucleation and growth yields an approximate activation energy for diffusion of Ge dimers on a Ge covered Si(001) surface of 0.70 eV. The dependence of the 3D-island number density on growth rate cannot be understood without modifying the classical model to account for the wetting layer present in SK systems. Heteroepitaxial strain is not included in the classical model of island nucleation and growth. A simple linear elastic model that fits the data is developed that predicts the island number density is proportional to the inverse square of the Ge mole fraction in the alloy plus a constant.     

Raman谱研究不同缓冲层结构对Si_(1-x)Ge_x应力弛豫的影响

应用 Raman散射谱研究超高真空化学气相淀积 ( UHV/CVD)生长的不同结构缓冲层对恒定组分上表层 Si1- x Gex 层应力弛豫的影响 .Raman散射的峰位不仅与 Ge组分有关 ,而且与其中的应力状态有关 .在完全应变和完全弛豫的情况下 ,Si1- x Gex 层中的 Si- Si振动模式相对于衬底的偏移都与 Ge组分成线性关系 .根据实测的 Raman峰位 ,估算了应力弛豫 .结果表明 :对组分渐变缓冲层结构而言 ,超晶格缓冲层中界面间应力更大 ,把位错弯曲成一个封闭的环 ,既减少了表面位错密度 ,很大程度上又释放了应力     

Thickness Dependence of Hole Mobility in Ultrathin SiGe-Channel p-MOSFETs

A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the dependence of hole mobility on SiGe channel layer thickness is presented for channel thicknesses down to 1.8 nm. This understanding is critical to the design of strained SiGe p-MOSFETs, as lattice mismatch limits the thickness of SiGe that can be grown on Si and as Ge outdiffusion during processing reduces the Ge fraction. Temperature-dependent measurements are used to extract the phonon-limited mobility as a function of SiGe channel thickness for strained Si_0.57Ge_0.43 heterostructures on bulk Si. The hole mobility is shown to degrade significantly for channel thickness below 4 nm due to a combination of phonon and interface scattering. Due to the finite nature of the quantum-well barrier, SiGe film thickness fluctuation scattering is not significant in this structure for channel thickness greater than 2.8 nm.     

A study of the oxidation behavior and the postannealing effect in a graded SiGe/Si heterostructure

A study on the dry thermal oxidation of a graded SiGe layer was performed. To reduce the Ge pileup effect during the thermal oxidation, the SiGe layer was deposited with much lower Ge content near the free surface than near the SiGe/Si heterointerface. After dry thermal oxidation at 900°C, the Ge composition in the pileup layer was significantly reduced and strain relaxation by defect formation was prevented due to the graded Ge distribution. To homogenize the Ge distribution between the pileup layer and remaining SiGe layer, the oxidized layers were postannealed. The homogenization is significantly enhanced by strain-induced diffusion, and it was confirmed by uphill diffusion of Ge. This result can propose an alternative oxidation method of strained SiGe/Si heterostructures.