Ion-beam-assisted MBE growth of semi-spherical SiGe/Si nano-structures

Semi-spherical SiGe/Si nano-structures of a new type are presented. Epitaxial islands of 30–40 nm in base diameter and 11 nm in height and having a density of about 6×10¹⁰ cm^-2 were produced on (001) Si by molecular beam epitaxial growth of Si/Si_0.5Ge_0.5 layers with in situ implantation of 1-keV As⁺ ions. It was found by cross-section transmission electron microscopy that the islands have a complicated inner structure and consist of a micro-twin nucleus and semi-spherical nano-layers of various SiGe compositions. The nature of the surface patterning is interpreted by stress relaxation through implantation-induced defects. Received: 12 July 2001 / Accepted: 4 September 2001 / Published online: 2 October 2001     

Electron-hole liquid and excitonic molecules in quasi-two-dimensional SiGe layers of Si/SiGe/Si heterostructures

The electron-hole liquid (EHL) in SiGe layers of Si/Si_{1 − x} Ge _x /Si quantum-confinement heterostructures is discovered. It is composed of quasi-two-dimensional holes in the quantum well formed by the SiGe layer and quasi-three-dimensional electrons, which occupy a wider region of space centered on this layer. The densities of electrons and holes in the EHL are determined to be p ₀ ≈ 8.5 × 10¹¹ cm⁻² and n ₀ ≈ 4.8 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³, respectively. It is demonstrated that the gas phase consists of excitons and excitonic molecules. The conditions on the band parameters of the structure under which the formation of the EHL of this kind and biexcitons is possible are formulated.     

Two-dimensional clusters in SiGe/Si heterostructures and their effect on field effect transistor transport characteristics

Heterostructures of Si_0.80Ge_0.20/Si (100) were grown by pulsed laser deposition consisting of alternating 10 nm SiGe and silicon layers for a total of 10 periods. The presence of alloy clustering at SiGe/Si interfaces was investigated by parallel transport in transistor structures. Photoluminescence line broadening indicated the presence of Ge-rich clusters (20–30 nm) in layers grown at a substrate temperature of 600 ^○C using a excimer laser at 248 nm wavelength.The 2D clusters were modeled, assuming a spherical shape and a potential of the form δΔU where δ is the composition variation and ΔU is the disorder potential. A scattering matrix element was derived which included intraband scattering. Transport effects were calculated using Monte Carlo techniques. Of interest was lateral transport in a field effect transistor configuration. Therefore, velocity versus field curves were calculated where electron motion is confined to the 2D-like Si/SiGe interface layers. Using concepts of charge control, current versus voltage relationships were derived. The derived models showed that for the case of a 250 μm conducting channel lateral length with 2D clusters evenly placed at every 10 nm, the transconductance increase is 25% and is a function of both cluster size and separation.In order to measure the effect of clustering, high electron mobility transistors were fabricated with two conducting 2D channels consisting of Si/SiGe/Si grown on high resistivity (100) silicon. Using 0.5 μm gates, a transconductance of 125 mS/mm was obtained in transistors without alloy clustering which decreased to less than 80 mS/mm when alloy clustering was present. The present investigation has related the presence of 2D nano-clusters to device performance and has also shown agreement between the experimental results and theoretical calculations.     

X-ray triple-axis diffractometry investigation of Si/SiGe/Si on silicon-on-insulator subjected to in situ low-temperature annealing

X-ray triple-axis diffractometry (XRTD) was used to characterize heterostructure Si/SiGe/Si on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) subjected to in situ low-temperature annealing. Crystallographic tilt, lattice constant and relaxation percentage were examined, respectively. Two peaks have been observed in (0 0 4) reciprocal lattice mappings (RLMs) of Si layers. The (0 0 4) RLMs indicate that Si cladding is in tensile strain. We have also found two peaks with different k_∥ and k_⊥ in (1 1 3) asymmetric RLMs of Si layers. It is deduced from comprehensive analyses on (0 0 4) and (1 1 3) RLMs that Ge diffusion and in-plane tensile strain lead to 2θ shift of the Si layers underneath SiGe layer in (0 0 4) RLMs. And the diffusion concentration of Ge accurately determined by XRTD is mole fraction 0.84%.     

Formation of relaxed SiGe on the buffer consists of modified SiGe stacked layers by Si pre-intermixing

High-quality relaxed SiGe films on Si (0 0 1) have been demonstrated with a buffer layer containing modified SiGe (m-SiGe) islands in ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV/CVD) system. The m-SiGe islands are smoothened by capping an appropriate amount of Si and the subsequent annealing for 10 min. This process leads to the formation of a smooth buffer layer with non-uniform Ge content. With the m-SiGe-dot multilayer as a buffer layer, the 500-nm-thick uniform Si_0.8Ge_0.2 layers were then grown. These m-SiGe islands can serve as effective nucleation centers for misfit dislocations to relax the SiGe overlayer. Surface roughness, strain relaxation, and crystalline quality of the relaxed SiGe overlayer were found to be a function of period's number of the m-SiGe-dot multilayer. By optimizing period number in the buffer, the relaxed Si_0.8Ge_0.2 film on the 10-period m-SiGe-dot multilayer was demonstrated to have a threading dislocation density of 2.0 × 10⁵ cm⁻² and a strain relaxation of 89%.     

Electrical peculiarities in Al/Si/Ge/…/Ge/Si and Al/SiGe/Si structures

The current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) behaviour of different Si/Ge multilayers and SiGe single layers prepared on p-type Si substrates by magnetron sputtering and annealing, has been studied in the temperature range of 80–320 K by using Al Schottky contacts as test structures. Although a significant influence of the microstructure of the Si/Ge multilayers and SiGe layers was obtained on the electrical behaviour of the structures, the structures exhibited similar specific features.     

Nanomechanical characteristics of annealed Si/SiGe superlattices

In this study, the nanomechanical damage was investigated on the annealed Si/SiGe strained-layer superlattices (SLSs) deposited using an ultrahigh-vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHVCVD). Nanoscratch, nanoindenter, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques were used to determine the nanomechanical behavior of the SiGe films. With a constant force applied, greater hardness number and larger coefficients of friction (μ) were observed on the samples that had been annealed at 600 °C, suggesting that annealing of the Si/SiGe SLSs can induce greater shear resistance. AFM morphological studies of the Si/SiGe SLSs revealed that pile-up phenomena occurred on both sides of each scratch, with the formation of some pellets and microparticles. The Si/SiGe SLSs that had been subjected to annealing under various conditions exhibited significantly different features in their indentation results. Indeed, the TEM images reveal slight dislocation propagation in the microstructures. Thus, the hardness and elastic modulus can be increased slightly after annealing treatment because the existence of comparatively unstable microstructures. It is suggested that cracking phenomena dominate the damage cause of Si/SiGe SLSs.     

Strain relaxation of epitaxial SiGe layer and Ge diffusion during Ni silicidation on cap-Si/SiGe/Si(0 0 1)

Strain relaxation of the epitaxial SiGe layer and Ge diffusion during nickel silicidation by rapid thermal annealing the structure of Ni(≅14 nm)/cap-Si(≅26 nm)/Si_0.83Ge_0.17/Si(0 0 1) at the elevated annealing temperatures, T_A, were investigated by X-ray diffraction analyses of high-resolution ω-2θ scan and reciprocal space mapping. The analyses showed a much larger strain relaxation at a lower T_A and a reduction in Ge content in the SiGe layer of Ni/SiGe/Si(0 0 1) after thermal annealing compared to the case of cap-Si/SiGe/Si(0 0 1). The results indicate that the strain relaxation of the SiGe layers in NiSi/SiGe/Si(0 0 1) is related to the phenomena of NiSi agglomeration and penetration into the SiGe layer during silicidation at elevated anneal temperatures ≥750 °C. At elevated T_A ≥ 750 °C, Ge diffused into the intact cap-Si area during silicidation.     

Effective electron mass in high-mobility SiGe/Si/SiGe quantum wells

The effective mass m* of the electrons confined in high-mobility SiGe/Si/SiGe quantum wells has been measured by the analysis of the temperature dependence of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. In the accessible range of electron densities, n _s , the effective mass has been found to grow with decreasing n _s , obeying the relation m*/m _b = n _s /(n _s ? n _c ), where m _b is the electron band mass and n _c ≈ 0.54 × 10¹¹ cm^?2. In samples with maximum mobilities ranging between 90 and 220 m²/(V s), the dependence of the effective mass on the electron density has been found to be identical suggesting that the effective mass is disorder-independent, at least in the most perfect samples.     

Si/SiGe量子级联激光器的能带设计

详细论述Si/SiGe量子级联激光器的工作原理，通过对比找到一组合适的Si，Ge和SiGe合金的能带参数，进而应用6×6 k·p方法计算了不同阱宽、不同Ge组分Si/Si_1-xGe_x/Si量子阱价带量子化的空穴能级本征值及其色散关系，分析Si/Si_1-xGe_x/Si量子阱空穴态能级间距随阱宽和组分的变化规律，最后应用计算结果讨论了Si/SiGe量子级联激光器有源区的能带设计，有益于优化Si /SiGe量子级联激光器结构. 关键词： 硅锗材料 量子级联激光器 子带跃迁 k·p方法')" href="#">k·p方法     

Dipolar Biexcitons in Lateral Traps in Si/SiGe/Si Heterostructures

Si/Si_1–xGe_x/Si heterostructures with large-scale (micrometer-size) lateral potential fluctuations at the upper SiGe/Si-cap heterointerface are grown. These potential fluctuations are caused by partial strain relaxation in the SiGe layer. Low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that these fluctuations form lateral traps where photoexcited nonequilibrium charge carriers are accumulated and bind into dipolar excitons, which ultimately recombine. At temperatures below 6 K, a new narrow line with a width considerably less than that of the dipolar exciton PL line emerges in the spectra as the level of excitation increases. It is shown that this line is associated with the recombination of dipolar biexcitons in large-scale traps.     

Impact of misfit dislocations on wavefront distortion in Si/SiGe/Si optical waveguides

Silicon-rich SiGe alloys represent a promising platform for the development of large-area single-mode optical waveguides to be integrated in silicon-based optical circuits. We find that SiGe layers epitaxially grown on Si successfully guide radiation with a 1.55 μm wavelength, but, beyond a critical core thickness, their optical properties are strongly affected by the clustering of misfit dislocations at the interface between Si and SiGe, leading to a significant perturbation of the local refractive index. Transmission electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy, together with finite-element simulations, provide a complete analysis of the impact of dislocations on optical propagation.     

Realization of silicon quantum wires based on Si/SiGe/Si heterostructure

We report on the successful fabrication of silicon quantum wires with SiO2 boundaries on SiGe/Si heterostructures by combining Si/SiGe/Si heteroepitaxy, selective chemical etching, and subsequent thermal oxidation. The observational result of scanning electron microscope is demonstrated. The present method provides a well-controllable way to fabricate silicon quantum wires.     

A super junction SiGe low-loss fast switching power diode

This paper proposes a novel super junction (SJ) SiGe switching power diode which has a columnar structure of alternating p^- and n^- doped pillar substituting conventional n^- base region and has far thinner strained SiGe p⁺ layer to overcome the drawbacks of existing Si switching power diode. The SJ SiGe diode can achieve low specific on-resistance, high breakdown voltages and fast switching speed. The results indicate that the forward voltage drop of SJ SiGe diode is much lower than that of conventional Si power diode when the operating current densities do not exceed 1000 A/cm², which is very good for getting lower operating loss. The forward voltage drop of the Si diode is 0.66V whereas that of the SJ SiGe diode is only 0.52 V at operating current density of 10 A/cm². The breakdown voltages are 203 V for the former and 235 V for the latter. Compared with the conventional Si power diode, the reverse recovery time of SJ SiGe diode with 20 per cent Ge content is shortened by above a half and the peak reverse current is reduced by over 15%. The SJ SiGe diode can remarkably improve the characteristics of power diode by combining the merits of both SJ structure and SiGe material.     

量子阱Si/SiGe/Sip型场效应管阈值电压和沟道空穴面密度模型

Si材料中较低的空穴迁移率限制了Si互补金属氧化物半导体器 件在高频领域的应用. 针对SiGe p型金属氧化物半导体场效应管(PMOSFET)结构, 通过求解纵向一维泊松方程,得到了器件的纵向电势分布, 并在此基础上建立了器件的阈值电压模型,讨论了Ge组分、缓冲层厚度、 Si帽层厚度和衬底掺杂对阈值电压的影响.由于SiGe沟道层较薄, 计算中考虑了该层价带势阱中的量子化效应. 当栅电压绝对值过大时, 由于能带弯曲和能级分裂造成SiGe沟道层中的空穴会越过势垒到达Si/SiO₂界面, 从而引起器件性能的退化. 建立了量子阱SiGe PMOSFET沟道层的空穴面密度模型, 提出了最大工作栅电压的概念, 对由栅电压引起的沟道饱和进行了计算和分析. 研究结果表明,器件的阈值电压和最大工作栅压与SiGe层Ge组分关系密切, Ge组分的适当提高可以使器件工作栅电压范围有效增大.     

Photoluminescence from heterogeneous SiGe/Si nanostructures prepared via a two-step approach strategy

A two-step approach of preparation for SiGe/Si heterogeneous nanostructures, which combined with ultra-high vacuum chemical deposition and electrochemical anodization techniques, is demonstrated. Uniformly distributed nanostructures with a quite uniform distribution of size and morphology are obtained. A strong room-temperature photoluminescence from the nanostructures was observed with a narrow full-width at half-maximum of around 110 meV. The possible origins of the two main peaks at around 1.6 and 1.8 eV have been discussed in detail. The two-step approach is proved to be a promising method to fabricate new Si-based optoelectronic materials.     

Luminescence of a quasi-two-dimensional electron-hole liquid and excitonic molecules in Si/SiGe/Si heterostructures upon two-electron transitions

The low-temperature photoluminescence of Si/Si_0.91Ge_0.09/Si heterostructures in the near-infrared and visible spectral ranges is investigated. For the structure in which the barrier in the conduction band formed by the SiGe layer is transparent to electron tunneling, the broad luminescence line observed in the visible range is analyzed by comparing its shape with the numerical convolution of the spectrum of near-infrared recombination radiation originating from the electron-hole liquid. The comparison demonstrates that, at high excitation levels, the visible-range emission is caused by two-electron transitions in a quasi-two-dimensional spatially direct electron-hole liquid. Furthermore, the combined analysis of the photoluminescence spectra in the near-infrared and visible ranges yields the binding energy of a quasi-two-dimensional free biexciton in the SiGe layer of these heterostructures. In the structures with a wide SiGe layer that is not tunneling-transparent to electrons, a spatially indirect (dipolar) electron-hole liquid is observed.     

Intraband photoresponse of SiGe quantum dot/quantum well multilayers

In this contribution we study the intravalence band photoexcitation of holes from self-assembled Ge quantum dots (QDs) in Si followed by spatial carrier transfer into SiGe quantum well (QW) channels located close to the Ge dot layers. The structures show maximum response in the important wavelength range 3–5 μm. The influence of the SiGe hole channel on photo- and dark current is studied depending on temperature and the spatial separation of QWs and dot layers. Introduction of the SiGe channel in the active region of the structure increases the photoresponsivity by up to about two orders of magnitude to values of 90 mA/W at T=20 K. The highest response values are obtained for structures with small layer separation (10 nm) that enable efficient transfer of photoexcited holes from QD to QW layers. The results indicate that Si/Ge QD structures with lateral photodetection promise very sensitive large area mid-infrared photodetectors with integrated readout microelectronics in Si technology.     

氧化SiGe/Si多量子阱制备Si基SiGe弛豫衬底

SiGe弛豫衬底是制备高性能Si基SiGe光电子器件的基础平台。本文通过1050℃不同时间氧化SiGe/SiMQW材料,分析氧化过程中Ge组分、弛豫度的变化趋势,制备位错密度低、表面平整、弛豫度超过60%的Si基Si0.75Ge0.25缓冲层。     

Free-standing Si/SiGe micro- and nano-objects

Free-standing SiGe/Si microtubes, microneedles, helical coils, bridges and submicron vertical rings have been fabricated from elastically strained SiGe/Si heterostructures grown by ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition. Three-dimensional micro- and nano-objects have been formed by self-scrolling after electron beam lithography, reactive ion etching and wet selective etching. Vertical rings with very smooth sidewalls may have applications in hot embossing lithography as well as in microelectronics and micromechanics. By adjusting the SiGe/Si bilayer thickness or Ge concentration, the diameter of tube or ring could be decreased into the nanometer scale.