Germanium islands embedded in strained silicon quantum wells grown on patterned substrates

Germanium islands were embedded in strained silicon quantum wells in order to provide an improved electron confinement in vicinity of the islands. Growth was performed on relaxed SiGe layers. Patterned substrates were used, favouring lattice relaxation as well permitting the fabrication of small Ge islands at deposition temperatures above 500 °C. Photoluminescence analysis reveals a strongly reduced dislocation related signal. The low temperature spectra are dominated by intense signals from the germanium islands. The origin of these signals were investigated by removing the islands by etching, analysing reference samples without a silicon quantum well, varying the germanium deposition and the growth temperature.