Issue 26, 2010

Kinetics of Ge diffusion, desorption and pit formation dynamics during annealing of Si0.8Ge0.2/Si(001) virtual substrates

Abstract

Thermal stability of Si0.8Ge0.2/Si(001) virtual substrates (VS) is studied as a function of annealing temperature and time by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Two regimes describing different Ge behavior are observed when the Si0.8Ge0.2 VS is annealed. Heating the substrate from room temperature to 500 °C results in some degree of Ge segregation. The surface morphology however remains relatively smooth and there is no formation of 3D islands on the surface. Above 500 °C, Ge is preferentially lost from the surface and microscopic pits with edges aligned along 〈110〉 azimuth are formed. As temperature increases, Ge% decreases and the size of pits also increases. The decrease in Ge% and the formation of holes at the surface are attributed to Ge desorption from the surface. A kinetic model involving diffusion and desorption processes is proposed to describe the Ge behavior and pits formation in this regime.

Graphical abstract: Kinetics of Ge diffusion, desorption and pit formation dynamics during annealing of Si0.8Ge0.2/Si(001) virtual substrates

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Dec 2009
Accepted
23 Mar 2010
First published
24 May 2010

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010,12, 7171-7183

Kinetics of Ge diffusion, desorption and pit formation dynamics during annealing of Si0.8Ge0.2/Si(001) virtual substrates

Z. Zhang, J. S. Pan, J. Zhang and E. S. Tok, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 7171 DOI: 10.1039/B927274G

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