New approach to the growth of low dislocation relaxed SiGe material

Abstract

In this growth process a new strain relief mechanism operates, whereby the SiGe epitaxial layer relaxes without the generation of threading dislocations within the SiGe layer. This is achieved by depositing SiGe on an ultrathin silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate with a superficial silicon thickness less than the SiGe layer thickness. Initially, the thin Si layer is put under tension due to an equalization of the strain between the Si and SiGe layers. Thereafter, the strain created in the thin Si layer relaxes by plastic deformation. Since the dislocations are formed and glide in the thin Si layer, no threading dislocation is ever introduced in to the upper SiGe material, which appeared dislocation free to the limit of the cross sectional transmission electron microscopy analysis. We thus have a method for producing very low dislocation, relaxes SiGe films with the additional benefit of an SOI substrate.