Characterization of strain relaxation behavior in Si1−xGex epitaxial layers by dry oxidation

Hyunchul Jang, Byongju Kim, Sangmo Koo, Seran Park, Dae Hong Ko

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We fabricated fully strained Si0.77Ge0.23 epitaxial layers on Si substrates and investigated their strain relaxation behaviors under dry oxidation and the effect of oxidation temperatures and times. After the oxidation process, a Ge-rich layer was formed between the oxide and the remaining Si0.77Ge0.23 layer. Using reciprocal space mapping measurements, we confirmed that the strain of the Si0.77Ge0.23 layers was efficiently relaxed after oxidation, with a maximum relaxation value of ~ 70% after oxidation at 850 °C for 120 min. The surface of Si0.77Ge0.23 layer after strain relaxation by dry oxidation was smoother than a thick Si0.77Ge0.23 layer, which achieved a similar strain relaxation value by increasing the film thickness. Additionally, N2 annealing was performed in order to compare its effect on the relaxation compared to dry oxidation and to identify relaxation mechanisms, other than the thermally driven ones, occurring during dry oxidation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)701-706
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the Korean Physical Society
Volume71
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017 Nov 1

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, The Korean Physical Society.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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