Epitaxial growth and characterization of Ge1-x-ySnxPby ternary alloys

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 829; p. 1
• Main Authors: Liu, Xiangquan, Zheng, Jun, Li, Mingming, Peng, Linzhi, Wang, Nan, Li, Xiuli, Zuo, Yuhua, Liu, Zhi, Xue, Chunlai, Cheng, Buwen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 15.07.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Absorptivity; Bandgap property; Critical temperature; Epitaxial growth; Epitaxy; Germanium; GeSnPb alloys; Lead; Optoelectronic devices; Silicon photonics; Silicon substrates; Structural property; Ternary alloys; Thermal stability; Tin; Silicon photonics; GeSnPb alloys; Bandgap property; Structural property; Epitaxy
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.154505

Single crystalline Ge1-x-ySnxPby alloys were grown on Ge/Si(100) substrates by a sputtering epitaxy method. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy revealed that no segregation of Sn and Pb occurred in these high quality alloys. The maximum Pb content of 1.7% was achieved, indicating that the co-introduction of Sn and Pb was a viable strategy to increase the Pb content in the Ge matrix. The thermal stability of the Ge1-x-ySnxPby (x < 0.081, y < 0.017) alloys revealed that the critical temperature for surface segregation was affected by not only the Pb content but also the Sn content. The direct bandgaps of the Ge1-x-ySnxPby alloys were calculated by the fitting of the absorption coefficient and the theoretical prediction indicated that the alloys have great potential for the application in efficient silicon-based optoelectronic devices. •Novel Ge1-x-ySnxPby ternary alloys were first grown by sputtering epitaxy.•The structural and optical properties of Ge1-x-ySnxPby alloys were studied.•The Ge1-x-ySnxPby alloys showed promising application on Silicon photonics.