Valley splitting in Si/Si1-xGex heterostructures

We show that the alloy disorder potential can be a possible cause for the valley splitting observed in the Si/Si1-xGex heterostructures at high magnetic fields and low electron densities.

Characterization of strain in Si1-xGex films using multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry

In this letter we characterize strain in Si1-xGex based heterojunction bipolar transistors and modulation doped field effect transistors grown by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition exploiting the phenomenon of strain-induced birefringence. The technique used is multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry at a wavelength of 670 nm to measure the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of the Si1-xGex films. We report measurements on thin fully strained films (with thicknesses less than the critical thickness) with Ge concentration varying from 9% to 40% with an accuracy of the order of 1 part in 10(4) and propose an empirical relation between the difference in the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices (deltan) and the Ge concentration (x) given by deltan(x)=0.18x-0.12x(2). (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)03948-6].

Theoretical investigation of CoSi2/Si1-xGex detectors: Influence of a Si tunneling barrier on the electro-optical characteristics

We present a theoretical investigation of the influence of a non-reacted Si layer on the transport and optical properties of CoSi2/Si1-xGex Schottky barrier diodes grown from Co/Si/Si1-xGex systems. The presence of this layer reduces the effect of the lowering of the Schottky barrier height which would be expected in a CoSi2/Si1-xGex. However, due to the small thickness of this Si layer, the charge carriers are able to tunnel through it. This tunneling process allows for a significant lowering of the Schottky barrier height and therefore an extension of the detection regime into the infrared. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Si1-xGex低维应变量子结构发光性质研究

Submitted by zhangdi (zhangdi@red.semi.ac.cn) on 2009-04-13T11:45:31Z

Band gap narrowing in heavily B doped Si1-xGex strained layers

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the effect of heavy B doping and strain in Si1-xGex strained layers. On the one hand, bandgap narrowing (BGN) will be generated due to the heavy doping, on the other hand, the dopant boron causes shrinkage in the lattice constant of SiGe materials, thus will compensate for part of the strain. Taking the strain compensation of B into account for the first time and uesing the with semi-empirical method, the Jain-Roulston model is modified. And the real BGN distributed between the conduction and valence bands is calculated, which is important for the accurate design of SiGe HBTs.

A base-emitter self-aligned multi-finger Si1-xGex/Si power heterojunction bipolar transistor

With a crystal orientation dependent on the etch rate of Si in KOH-based solution, a base-emitter self-aligned large-area multi-linger configuration power SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) device (with an emitter area of about 880 mu m(2)) is fabricated with 2 mu m double-mesa technology. The maximum dc current gain is 226.1. The collector-emitter junction breakdown voltage BVCEO is 10 V and the collector-base junction breakdown voltage BVCBO is 16 V with collector doping concentration of 1 x 10(17) cm(-3) and thickness of 400 nm. The device exhibited a maximum oscillation frequency f(max) of 35.5 GHz and a cut-off frequency f(T) of 24.9 GHz at a dc bias point of I-C = 70 mA and the voltage between collector and emitter is V-CE = 3 V. Load pull measurements in class-A operation of the SiGe HBT are performed at 1.9 GHz with input power ranging from 0 dBm to 21 dBm. A maximum output power of 29.9 dBm (about 977 mW) is obtained at an input power of 18.5 dBm with a gain of 11.47 dB. Compared to a non-self-aligned SiGe HBT with the same heterostructure and process, f(max) and f(T) are improved by about 83.9% and 38.3%, respectively.

In-plane optical anisotropy in asymmetric Si1-xGex/Si/Si1-yGey superlattices

A trilayer asymmetric superlattice, Si/Si1-xGex/Si1-yGey, is proposed, in which the broken inversion symmetry makes the microstructure optically biaxial; in particular, inequivalent interfaces in this heterostructure may cause a polarization ratio as large as about 2.5% in the absence of an external field. The electronic structure and absorption spectra for two types of trilayer superlattice with different parameters are calculated by use of the tight-binding model; the findings indicate the importance of the carrier confinement for the anisotropy value. The effect of external electric field on the optical anisotropy for such structures has also been discussed, and a Pockels coefficient of 10-9 cm V-1 estimated.

A surface kinetics model for the growth of Si1-xGex by UHV/CVD using SiH4/CeH4

The surface reaction mechanism of Si1-xGex/Si growth using SiH4 and GeH4 in UHV/CVD system was studied. The saturated adsorption and desorption of SiH4 from Si(1 0 0) surface was investigated with the help of TPD and RHEED, and it was found that all the 4 hydrogen atoms of one SiH4 molecule were adsorbed to the Si surface, which meant that the dissociated adsorption ratio was proportional to 4 power of surface vacancies. The analysis of the reaction of GeH4 was also done. A new surface reaction kinetic model on Si1-xGex/Si epitaxial growth under UHV conditions by SiH4/GeH4 was proposed based on these studies. The predictions of the model were verified by the experimental results. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Si1-xGex/Si resonant-cavity-enhanced photodetectors with a silicon-on-oxide reflector operating near 1.3 mu m

We report on a Si1-xGex/Si multiple quantum-well resonant-cavity-enhanced (RCE) photodetector with a silicon-on-oxide reflector as the bottom mirror operating near 1.3 mu m. The breakdown voltage of the photodetector is above 18 V and the dark current density at 5 V reverse bias is 12 pA/mu m(2). The RCE photodetector shows enhanced responsivity with a clear peak at 1.285 mu m and the peak responsivity is measured around 10.2 mA/W at a reverse bias of 5 V. The external quantum efficiency at 1.3 mu m is measured to be 3.5% under reverse bias of 16 V, which is enhanced three- to fourfold compared with that of a conventional p-i-n photodetector with a Ge content of 0.5 reported in 1995 by Huang [Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 566 (1995)]. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)00628-8].

A study of Si1-xGex/Si quantum-well intermixing by photocurrent spectroscopy

Photocurrent spectroscopy has been used to study quantum-well intermixing in this paper. The cut-off wavelength of the photodiodes based on the implanted and annealed materials is significantly reduced, compared with that measured in annealed-only photodetectors. The bandgap of SiGe quantum well in implanted and annealed samples is blue-shifted by up to 97 meV, relative to that in annealed-only samples. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Enhanced hydrogen desorption from Si sites during low-temperature Si1-xGex growth by disilane and solid-Ge molecular beam epitaxy

A phenomenological model is proposed to explain quantitatively the interesting compositional dependence on the Ge incorporation rate during low-temperature growth of Si1-xGex by disilane and solid-Ge molecular beam epitaxy, based on enhanced hydrogen desorption from Si sites due to the presence of Ge atoms. The hydrogen desorption rate constant for disilane on Si sites is fitted to an exponential function of Ge incorporation rate and a possible physical explanation is discussed. Simulated results are in excellent agreement with experimental data. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)02109-X].

Gas source molecular beam epitaxy and thermal stability of Si1-xGex/Si superlattice materials

Gas source molecular beam epitaxy has been used to grow Si1-xGex alloys and Si1-xGex/Si multi-quantum wells (MQWs) on (100) Si substrates with Si2H6 and GeH4 as sources. Heterostructures and MQWs with mirror-like surface morphology, good crystalline qualify, and abrupt interfaces have been studied by a variety of in situ and ex situ techniques. The structural stability and strain relaxation in Si1-xGex/Si heterostructures have been investigated, and compared to that in the As ion-implanted Si1-xGex epilayers. The results show that the strain relaxation mechanism of the non-implanted Si1-xGex epilayers is different from that of the As ion-implanted Si1-xGex epilayers.

Low-temperature growth properties of Si1-xGex by disilane and solid-Ge molecular beam epitaxy

Low temperature (similar to 500 degrees C) growth properties of Si1-xGex by disilane and solid-Ge molecular beam epitaxy have been studied with an emphasis on surface morphology and growth kinetics. It is found that low-temperature growth(<500 degrees C) is in layer-by-layer mode and atomically-smooth surfaces have been obtained in as-grown samples with large Ge composition (>0.5). Ge composition dependence on substrate temperature, Ge cell temperature and disilane flow rate have been investigated. It is found that in low-temperature growth (less than or equal to 500 degrees C) and under large disilane flux, Ge composition increases with the increase of Ge flux and further increase of Ge flux leads to the saturation of Ge composition. Similar compositional dependence has been found at different growth temperatures. The saturated composition increases with the decrease of substrate temperature. The results can be explained if H desorption is assumed to occur from both Si and Ge monohydrides without diffusional exchange and the presence of Ge enhances H desorption on a Si site. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of strain relaxation in As ion implanted Si1-xGex epilayers grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

Strain relaxation in the As ion implanted Si0.57Ge0.43 epilayers was studied by double-crystal x-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy, and was compared to that in the nonimplanted Si0.57Ge0.43 epilayers. Experimental results show that after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) the x-ray linewidth of the As+-implanted Si0.57Ge0.43 epilayers is narrower than that of the nonimplanted epilayers, and than that of the partially relaxed as-grown samples, which is due primarily to low density of misfit dislocations in the As+-implanted SiGe epilayers. RTA at higher than 950 degrees C results in the formation of misfit dislocations for the nonimplanted structures, and of combinations of dislocations and precipitates (tentatively identified as GeAs) for the As+-implanted epilayers. The results mean that the strain relaxation mechanism of the As+-implanted Si1-xGex epilayers may be different from that of the nonimplanted Si1-xGex epilayers. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.

Near-Infrared Femtosecond Laser for Studying the Strain in Si1-xGex Alloy Films via Second-Harmonic Generation

The second-harmonic generation (SHG) from Si1-xGex alloy films has been investigated by near-infrared femtosecond laser. Recognized by s-out polarized SHG intensity versus rotational angle of sample, the crystal symmetry of the fully strained Si0.83Ge0.17 alloy is found changed from the O-h to the C-2 point group due to the inhomogeneity of the strain. Calibrated by double crystal X-ray diffraction, the strain-induced chi((2)) is estimated at 5.7 x 10(-7) esu. According to the analysis on p-in/s-out SHG, the strain-relaxed Si0.10Ge0.90 alloy film is confirmed to be not fully relaxed, and the remaining strain is quantitatively determined to be around 0.1%.