Observation of vertical and lateral Ge segregation in thin undulating SiGe layers on Si by electron energy-loss spectroscopy
- 11 August 1997
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 71 (6) , 809-811
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.119653
Abstract
The local Ge composition in undulating Si0.8Ge0.2 layers on Si has been studied in a scanning transmission electron microscope using electron energy-loss spectroscopy. We observe Ge enrichment of the SiGe layer near the free surface (vertical Ge segregation in the growth direction) as well as Ge depletion of the ripple troughs compared to the peaks (lateral segregation). These lateral compositional fluctuations are likely to retard the generation of misfit dislocations and might be relevant to the Stranski–Krastanov growth of strained epitaxial alloy layers as well as to the self-organized growth of quantum dot structures.Keywords
This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- Stress-Driven Alloy Decomposition during Step-Flow GrowthPhysical Review Letters, 1996
- Growth morphology evolution and dislocation introduction in the InGaAsGaAs heteroepitaxial systemJournal of Crystal Growth, 1996
- A Correlation between Compositional Fluctuations and Surface Undulations in Strained Layer EpitaxyMaterials Science Forum, 1995
- Growth ripples upon strained SiGe epitaxial layers on Si and misfit dislocation interactionsJournal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, 1994
- Self-induced laterally modulated GaInP/InAsP structure grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxyJournal of Applied Physics, 1994
- Competing relaxation mechanisms in strained layersPhysical Review Letters, 1994
- Evolution of surface morphology and strain during SiGe epitaxyThin Solid Films, 1992
- Morphological instability in epitaxially strained dislocation-free solid filmsPhysical Review Letters, 1991
- On the stability of surfaces of stressed solidsActa Metallurgica, 1989
- Cross-sections for energy loss spectrometryUltramicroscopy, 1982