Abstract

AbstractRemote Plasma-enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (RPCVD) has been used to grow GexSi1−x/Si heteroepitaxial thin films at low temperatures (∼450°C). In situ RHEED has been used to confirm that smooth, single crystal heteroepitaxial films can be grown by RPCVD. Plan-view and cross-sectional TEM have been employed to study the microstructure of the heteroepitaxial films. Lattice imaging high resolution TEM (HRTEM) has shown perfect epitaxial lattice alignment at the heterojunction interfaces. GexSi1−x/Si films which exceed their CLT's appreciably show dense Moiré fringes under plan-view TEM. The spacings between the fringes have been used to estimate the relaxed lattice constants. In addition to the inhomogeneous strain observed in XTEM, Selected Area electron Diffraction (SAD) analysis of the interfaces displays two split patterns. The spacings between the diffraction spots have been used to calculate the lattice constants in the epitaxial films in different crystal directions, which agree very well with the prediction by Vegard's law as well as the estimate from planview TEM analysis. HRTEM analysis also reveals the crystallographic nature of the interfacial misfit dislocations in the relaxed films.

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