Effect of tensile-strained Si layer on photoluminescence of Ge(Si) self-assembled islands grown on relaxed SiGe/Si(001) buffer layers

The results of studying the photoluminescence of the structures with Ge(Si) self-assembled islands embedded into tensile-strained Si layer are reported. The structures were grown on smooth relaxed Si_{1 ? x} Ge_x/Si(001) (x = 0.2–0.3) buffer layers. The photoluminescence peak found in the photoluminescence spectra of the studied structures is related to the indirect (in real space) optical transition between the holes localized in the Ge(Si) islands and electrons localized in the tensile-strained Si layers under and above an island. It is shown that one can efficiently control the position of the photoluminescence peak for a specified type of structure by varying the thickness of the strained Si layers. It is found that, at 77 K, the intensity of the photoluminescence signal from the heterostructures with Ge(Si) self-assembled islands contained between the tensile-strained Si layers exceeds by an order of magnitude the intensity of the photoluminescence signal from the GeSi structures with islands formed on the Si(001) substrates.     

Effect of parameters of Ge(Si)/Si(001) self-assembled islands on their electroluminescence at room temperature

The electroluminescence (EL) of multilayered p-i-n structures with the self-assembled Ge(Si)/Si(001) islands are investigated. It is found that the structures with islands grown at 600°C have the highest intensity of the electroluminescence signal at room temperature in the wavelength range of 1.3–1.55 μm. The annealing of structures with the Ge(Si) islands leads to an increase in the EL-signal intensity at low temperatures and hampers the temperature stability of this signal, which is related to the additional Si diffusion into islands during annealing. The found considerable increase in the electroluminescence-signal intensity with the thickness of the separating Si layer is associated with a decrease in the elastic stresses in the structure with an increase in this layer’s thickness. The highest EL quantum efficiency in the wavelength range of 1.3–1.55 μm obtained in investigated structures amounted to 0.01% at room temperature.     

Resonant cavity enhanced photoluminescence of tensile strained Ge/SiGe quantum wells on silicon-on-insulator substrate

The tensile strained Ge/SiGe multiple quantum wells （MQWs） grown on a silicon-on-insulator （SOI） substrate were fabricated successfully by ultra-high chemical vapor deposition. Room temperature direct band photoluminescence from Ge quantum wells on SOI substrate is strongly modulated by Fabry-Perot cavity formed between the surface of Ge and the interface of buried SiO2. The photoluminescence peak intensity at 1.58 μm is enhanced by about 21 times compared with that from the Ge/SiGe quantum wells on Si substrate, and the full width at half maximum （FWHM） is significantly reduced. It is suggested that tensile strained Ge/SiGe multiple quantum wells are one of the promising materials for Si-based microcavity lijzht emitting devices.     

Growth and characterization of GaAs films deposited on Ge/Si composite substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We report the results of studies which have been made on heteroepitaxial layers of GaAs and AlGaAs grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on composite substrates that consist of four different types of heteroepitaxial layered structures of Ge and Ge-Si grown by molecular beam epitaxy on (100)-oriented Si substrates. It is found that of the four structures studied, the preferred composite substrate is a single layer of Ge ∼1 μm thick grown directly on a Si buffer layer. The double-crystal X-ray rocking curves of 2 μm thick GaAs films grown on such substrates have FWHM values as small as 168 arc sec. Transmission electron micrographs of these Ge/Si composite substrates has shown that the number of dislocations in the Ge heteroepitaxial layer can be greatly reduced by an anneal at about 750° C for 30 min which is simultaneously carried out during the growth of the GaAs layer. The quality of the GaAs layers grown on these composite substrates can be greatly improved by the use of a five-period GaAs-GaAsP strained-layer superlattice (SLS). Using the results of these studies, low-threshold optically pumped AlGaAs-GaAs DH laser structures have been grown by MOCVD on MBE Ge/Si composite substrates.     

Growth and electrical properties of the (Si/Ge)-on-insulator structures formed by ion implantation and subsequent hydrogen-assisted transfer

Systematic features of endotaxial growth of intermediate germanium layers at the bonding interface in the silicon-on-insulator structure consisting of buried SiO₂ layer implanted with Ge⁺ ions are studied in relation to the annealing temperature. On the basis of the results for high-resolution electron microscopy and thermodynamic analysis of the Si/Ge/SiO₂ system it is assumed that the endotaxial growth of the Ge layer occurs via formation of a melt due to enhanced segregation and accumulation of Ge at the Si/SiO₂ interface. Effect of germanium at the bonding interface on the Hall mobility of holes in silicon layers with nanometer-scale thickness is studied. It is found that the structures including the top silicon layer with the thickness 3–20 nm and incorporating germanium feature the hole mobility that exceeds by a factor of 2–3 the hole mobility in corresponding Ge-free silicon-on-insulator structures.     

Critical conditions for SiGe island formation during Ge deposition on Si(100) at high temperatures

The strain relaxation during the Ge growth on Si(100) occurs vikia surface diffusion and Si-Ge intermixing at temperatures below 800 °C. The Ge diffusion into the Si substrate is an additional process at higher temperatures. We found that, if its rate is higher than the Ge deposition rate, the island formation is not realized. We determined the critical Ge deposition rate as a function of the temperature in the range of 840–960 °C, at which the dynamic equilibrium between the growth of islands and their decay through the diffusion takes place. The islands grown in the conditions close to the dynamic equilibrium are ordered with a distance between them of about 1 µm and they form a smoothed surface morphology. These are indicative of the surface layer strain uniformity. The islands have a SiGe composition which, in the direction parallel to the sample surface, is more uniform in comparison with the islands grown at lower temperatures. The results show that the use of high temperatures essentially improves the conditions for the heterostructure self-organization.     

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.     

硅缓冲层提高选区外延生长硅基锗薄膜质量

研究了Si缓冲层对选区外延Si基Ge薄膜的晶体质量的影响。利用超高真空化学气相沉积系统,结合低温Ge缓冲层和选区外延技术,通过插入Si缓冲层,在Si/SiO_2图形衬底上选择性外延生长Ge薄膜。采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、原子力显微镜(AFM)表征了Ge薄膜的晶体质量和表面形貌。测试结果表明,选区外延Ge薄膜的晶体质量比无图形衬底外延得到薄膜的晶体质量要高;选区外延Ge薄膜前插入Si缓冲层得到Ge薄膜具有较低的XRD曲线半高宽以及表面粗糙度,位错密度低至5.9×10~5/cm^2,且薄膜经过高低温循环退火后,XRD曲线半高宽和位错密度进一步降低。通过插入Si缓冲层可提高选区外延Si基Ge薄膜的晶体质量,该技术有望应用于Si基光电集成。     

Potentialities and basic principles of controlling the plastic relaxation of GeSi/Si and Ge/Si films with stepwise variation in the composition

GeSi/Si heterostructures consisting of a plastically relaxed layer that includes various fractions of Ge and which is grown on Si (001) span the values of the lattice parameter from equal to that in silicon to equal to that in germanium. The corresponding substrates are conventionally referred to as artificial. A number of methods exist for growing high-quality GeSi layers with as large as 100% of Ge on Si (001) substrates through an intermediate GeSi layer with a varying composition. However, it is desirable in a number of cases to have ultrathin (<1 μm) GeSi and Ge layers directly on the Si (001) substrate for practical applications. The results of new methods such as the use of a buffer Si layer grown at a comparatively low temperature (300–400°C) in plastic relaxation of the GeSi/Si(001) heterostructures and also the use of surfactants (antimony and hydrogen) are analyzed. The examples of artificial introduction of centers for origination of misfit dislocations as an alternative to their introduction from the rough surface are considered. It can be concluded that, in order to expand the range of potentialities of growing perfect plastically relaxed GeSi (001) films, it is necessary to (i) make it possible to form in a controlled manner the centers for origination of the misfit dislocations and (ii) retard or completely suppress the transition of the growth mechanism from two-to three-dimensional in order to prevent the formation of additional misfit dislocations from the surface of the stressed film and, correspondingly, additional threading dislocations.     

Si/SiGe n-MODFETs on thin SiGe virtual substrates prepared by means of He implantation

Si/SiGe n-type modulation-doped field-effect transistors grown on a very thin strain-relieved Si/sub 0.69/Ge/sub 0.31/ buffer on top of a Si(100) substrate were fabricated and characterized. This novel type of virtual substrate has been created by means of a high dose He ion implantation localized beneath a 95-nm-thick pseudomorphic SiGe layer on Si followed by a strain relaxing annealing step at 850/spl deg/C. The layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Electron mobilities of 1415 cm/sup 2//Vs and 5270 cm/sup 2//Vs were measured at room temperature and 77 K, respectively, at a sheet carrier density of about 3/spl times/10/sup 12//cm/sup 2/. The fabricated transistors with Pt-Schottky gates showed good dc characteristics with a drain current of 330 mA/mm and a transconductance of 200 mS/mm. Cutoff frequencies of f/sub t/=49 GHz and f/sub max/=95 GHz at 100 nm gate length were obtained which are quite close to the figures of merit of a control sample grown on a conventional, thick Si/sub 0.7/Ge/sub 0.3/ buffer.     

Ge based nanostructures for electronic and photonic devices

Self-assembled Ge_xSi_1−x islands were grown on Si(0 0 1) substrates by solid source molecular beam epitaxy. Two different morphological shapes with different sizes were evolved by tuning the growth time at a constant deposition temperature. Micro-Raman analysis was carried out to investigate the composition, intermixing and strain of resultant islands. The observed broad infra-red photoluminescence signal from grown samples was associated with radiative recombination of holes confined in the Ge islands and electrons localized in the Si buffer layer. The PL peak position and intensity were found to be influenced by the islands size and intermixing of Si and Ge. The electrical properties of the islands were studied through photoexcited I-V characteristics and current imaging using conducting mode atomic force microscopy.     

Thermally Processed High-Mobility MOS Thin-Film Transistors on Transferable Single-Crystal Elastically Strain-Sharing Si/SiGe/Si Nanomembranes

Demonstration of high-performance MOS thin-film transistors (TFTs) on elastically strain-sharing single-crystal Si/SiGe/Si nanomembranes (SiNMs) that are transferred to foreign substrates is reported. The transferable SiNMs are realized by first growing pseudomorphic SiGe and Si layers on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, and then, selectively removing the buried oxide (BOX) layer from the SOI. Before the release, only the SiGe layer is compressively strained. Upon release, part of the compressive strain in the SiGe layer is transferred to the thin Si layers, and the Si layers, thus, become tensile strained. Both the initial compressive strain state in the SiGe layer and the final strain sharing state between the SiGe and the Si layers are verified with X-ray diffraction measurements. The TFTs are fabricated employing the conventional high-temperature MOS process on the strain-shared SiNMs that are transferred to an oxidized Si substrate. The transferred strained-sharing SiNMs show outstanding thermal stability and can withstand the high-temperature TFT process on the new host substrate. The strained-channel TFTs fabricated on the new host substrate show high current drive capability and an average electron effective mobility of 270 cm²/V ldr s. The results suggest that transferable and thermally stable single-crystal elastically strain- sharing SiNMs can serve as excellent active material for high-speed device application with a simple and scalable transfer method. The demonstration of MOS TFTs on the transferable nanomembranes may create the opportunity for future high-speed Si CMOS heterogeneous integration on any substrate.     

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.     

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.     

Studies of the Cross Section and Photoluminescence of a GaAs Layer Grown on a Si/Al2O3 Substrate

Semiconductors - A GaAs/AlAs/GaAs/AlAs/Ge heterostructure grown on a Si/Al2O3(1 $$\bar {1}$$ 02) substrate is formed and studied. The Ge buffer layer is produced by the “hot wire”...     

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.     

Stimulated emission in heterostructures with double InGaAs/GaAsSb/GaAs quantum wells,grown on GaAs and Ge/Si(001) substrates

We report the observation of stimulated emission in heterostructures with double InGaAs/GaAsSb/GaAs quantum wells, grown on Si(001) substrates with the application of a relaxed Ge buffer layer. Stimulated emission is observed at 77 K under pulsed optical pumping at a wavelength of 1.11 μm, i.e., in the transparency range of bulk silicon. In similar InGaAs/GaAsSb/GaAs structures grown on GaAs substrates, room-temperature stimulated emission is observed at 1.17 μm. The results obtained are promising for integration of the structures into silicon-based optoelectronics.     

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.     

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.