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Morphological evolution of SiGe layers
- Source :
- Surface Science : A Journal Devoted to the Physics and Chemistry of Interfaces, Surface Science : A Journal Devoted to the Physics and Chemistry of Interfaces, 2003, 531 (3), pp.231-243. ⟨10.1016/S0039-6028(03)00488-6⟩, Surface Science, Surface Science, Elsevier, 2003, 531 (3), pp.231-243. ⟨10.1016/S0039-6028(03)00488-6⟩
- Publication Year :
- 2003
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2003.
-
Abstract
- Extensive research activity has been devoted to self-assembly of very small coherent islands. However, while island formation is commonly described by a widely used S–K growth scheme, more complex mechanisms based on competitive effects of kinetics and thermodynamics take place during the epitaxy of Si1−xGex on Si(0 0 1). The aim of this paper is to explain the formation and the evolution of Si1−xGex islands on Si(0 0 1). The paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the different growth modes of Si1−xGex films (with x varying from 0 to 1) on Si(0 0 1) and Si(1 1 1). The results are presented in the form of kinetic morphological growth diagrams of as-grown samples. Two and four growth regimes are distinguished on (1 1 1) and (0 0 1) respectively. These growth regimes correspond to different levels of relaxation. In particular the four regimes observed on Si(0 0 1) correspond to (i) no relaxation in regime I (2D layer), (ii) 15–20% relaxation in regime II (“huts” islands with (1 0 5) facets), (iii) 20% and 50% relaxation in regime III (in “huts” and “domes” respectively) and (iv) 50% and 80% relaxation in regime IV (“domes” with bimodal size distribution). Every growth regime characteristic of as-grown sample is also associated with a specific equilibrium steady state morphology which is obtained after long-term annealing of the as-grown samples. In the two first regimes (no or small strain relaxation) the equilibrium morphology of highly strained Si1−xGex deposits corresponds to (1 0 5) faceted islands. We show that these islands are stabilised by the compressive stress. As soon as strain is released, (1 0 5) facets disappear at the expense of the (1 1 3) and (1 1 1) facets and first-order transition occurs between “huts” and “domes” islands.
- Subjects :
- Nanostructure
Materials science
Annealing (metallurgy)
Surface stress
02 engineering and technology
Surfaces and Interfaces
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Condensed Matter Physics
Epitaxy
Kinetic energy
01 natural sciences
Small strain
Surfaces, Coatings and Films
Silicon-germanium
chemistry.chemical_compound
Crystallography
chemistry
Chemical physics
Transmission electron microscopy
0103 physical sciences
[PHYS.COND.CM-MS]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]
Materials Chemistry
010306 general physics
0210 nano-technology
ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00396028 and 18792758
- Volume :
- 531
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Surface Science
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....81aed09658db2d4bea1149510c0b1d92