Low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy growth of Si/SiGe THz quantum cascade structures on virtual substrates

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 508; no. 1; pp. 24 - 28
• Main Authors: Zhao, M., Ni, W.-X., Townsend, P., Lynch, S.A., Paul, D.J., Hsu, C.C., Chang, M.N.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 05.06.2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE); Molecular, atomic, ion, and chemical beam epitaxy; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Physics; Quantum cascade; Si/SiGe; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); TECHNOLOGY; TEKNIKVETENSKAP; X-ray diffraction; X-ray diffraction; Si/SiGe; Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE); Quantum cascade; Atomic force microscopy; Inorganic compounds; Semiconductor materials; Ge-Si alloys; Surface morphology; Roughness; Electroluminescence; Crystal growth from vapors; XRD; Experimental study; Superlattices; Growth mechanism; Molecular beam epitaxy; Solid source molecular beam epitaxy; Low temperature
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2005.07.355

Si/SiGe quantum cascade structures containing superlattice up to 100 periods have been grown on SiGe virtual substrates by using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy at low temperature. The surface morphology and structural properties of the grown samples were characterized using various experimental techniques. It has been concluded that the structures were completely symmetrically strained with high crystalline quality, precise layer parameters, and excellent reproducibility. Electroluminescence was observed with peaked intensity at ∼3 THz at both 4 and 40 K, which agrees very well with expected interwell intersubband transition according to the design.