Stress control of semiconductor microstructures for thin film growth

• Main Authors: Lagally, Max, Lal, Amit, Lee, Chung, Rugheimer, Paul
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 25.11.2004

A suspended semiconductor film is anchored to a substrate at at least two opposed anchor positions, and film segments are deposited on the semiconductor film adjacent to one or more of the anchor positions to apply either tensile or compressive stress to the semiconductor film between the film segments. A crystalline silicon film may be anchored to the substrate and have tensile stress applied thereto to reduce the lattice mismatch between the silicon and a silicon-germanium layer deposited onto the silicon film. By controlling the level of stress in the silicon film, the size, density and distribution of quantum dots formed in a high germanium content silicon-germanium film deposited on the silicon film can be controlled.