Evidence for Substitutional C, Ordering Effects and Interdiffusion in Epitaxial GE-C and GE-RICH GE-SI-C Alloys

AbstractWe report on the epitaxial growth of Ge-C and Ge-Si-C alloys (C<10%) grown on Si(100) and Ge(100) substrates using low temperature (∼200°C) molecular beam epitaxy. Thin films (50–70 nm) were characterized in-situ by RHEED and ex-situ by transmission electron microscopy, xray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The films were annealed at 750°C and 850°C in an Ar atmosphere to study interdiffusion effects.Raman spectroscopy of Ge-C on Ge indicates the existence of a Ge-C local mode at 530cm−1 and is direct evidence for the presence of substitutional C in Ge. The GeSiC alloys grown on Ge do not show the Ge-C local mode, consistent with preferential Si-C bonding. There is evidence for strain enhanced solubility of C based on a comparison of the substitutional C content in Ge-C films on Si (∼1 at %) and on Ge substrates (∼0.1 at %). Silicon interdiffusion in annealed Ge-C samples is strongly suppressed by the presence of C. A simple diffusion model is used to illustrate Si indiffusion in Ge.