Comparative study on dry oxidation of heteroepitaxial Si1−xGex and Si1−x−yGexCy on Si(100)+

Abstract

The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of carbon incorporation upon thermal oxidation of Si1−xGex alloys and its role on strain compensation in Si1−xGex alloys. Si1−xGex and Si1−x−yGexCy alloys on Si(100) are grown by combined ion and molecular beam deposition and are then oxidized at 1000 °C in a dry oxygen ambient for two h. The thickness and the composition of all samples before and after oxidation are measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) combined with ion channeling at 2.0 MeV and carbon nuclear resonance analysis at 4.3 MeV using 4He++ ions. In agreement with previously reported results of dry oxidation on Si1−xGex thin films, 2.0 MeV RBS analysis shows that a layer of SiO2 is formed on the top surface of both Si1−xGex and Si1−x−yGexCy thin films, while Ge segregates towards the top surface and at the SiO2/Si1−xGex and SiO2/Si1−x−yGexCy interfaces. However, it is observed for the first time that dry oxidation rates of Si1−xGex thin films decrease with increasing Ge fraction x for x≳0.20 and with increasing minimum yield. Ion channeling analysis and strain measurements indicate that the incorporation of C rather than the amount of C itself affects the dry oxidation mechanism because of its strong influence on film strain and crystalline quality. These results are discussed in conjunction with observations by secondary ion mass spectrometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and tapping mode atomic force microscopy.