Abstract
We have grown the high quality and compressively strained Ge epilayers on a Si substrate with 40-nm width SiO2trench patterns at a growth temperature of 600 °C. Based on (224) reciprocal space mapping measurements of Ge samples with a different thickness, the residual in-plane strain value along the trench direction decreased from -0.74% to -0.42% with increasing thickness of the Ge layer from 150 nm to 180 nm. In addition, the compressive strain along the trench direction (ε1¯10) was larger than that in the direction perpendicular to the trench (ε110) regardless of the thickness. For example, when Ge was overgrown on a SiO2trench, the ε1¯10and ε110values were -0.42% and ~0%, respectively. We conclude that the asymmetric strain relaxation behavior of Ge is related to the SiO2trench patterns, which prevent the dislocations from gliding. Defects such as a microtwin and/or stacking fault were generated during the coalescence of Ge films having different lattice constants in each Ge layer arising from the different relaxation values. A local strain in Ge, with a high spatial resolution of 2.5 nm, was measured along the two directions by means of a nanobeam electron diffraction method, thus confirming asymmetric strain relaxation and the results are in good agreement with reciprocal space mapping results.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 308-313 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Crystal Growth |
Volume | 401 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 Sep 1 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was financially supported by the IT R&D Program of MKE/KEIT ( 10039174 , Technology Development of 22 nm level Foundry Device and PDK) and the Joint Program for Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEC)–Yonsei University . B. Kim gratefully acknowledges the university–industry cooperation scholarship program from SEC.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier B.V.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Materials Chemistry