Crystals (Apr 2024)

The Epitaxial Growth of Ge and GeSn Semiconductor Thin Films on C-Plane Sapphire

  • Emmanuel Wangila,
  • Calbi Gunder,
  • Petro M. Lytvyn,
  • Mohammad Zamani-Alavijeh,
  • Fernando Maia de Oliveira,
  • Serhii Kryvyi,
  • Hryhorii Stanchu,
  • Aida Sheibani,
  • Yuriy I. Mazur,
  • Shui-Qing Yu,
  • Gregory Salamo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14050414
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 5
p. 414

Abstract

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Ge1−xSnx growth on a new sapphire platform has been demonstrated. This involved the growth of GeSn on Ge/GaAs layers using the algorithm developed. The resultant growths of Ge on GaAs/AlAs/sapphire and Ge1−xSnx on Ge/GaAs/AlAs/sapphire were investigated by in situ and ex situ characterization techniques to ascertain the surface morphology, crystal structure, and quality. The growth mode of Ge on GaAs was predominantly two-dimensional (2D), which signifies a layer-by-layer deposition, contributing to enhanced crystal quality in the Ge/GaAs system. The growth of Ge1−xSnx with 10% Sn on a graded profile for 30 min shows uniform composition and a strong peak on the reciprocal space map (RSM). On the other hand, the partially relaxed growth of the alloy on RSM was established.

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