Book Description

In recent years, Ge and SiGe devices have been actively investigated for potential optoelectronic applications such as germanium solar cells for long wavelength absorption, quantum-dot intermediate band solar cells (IBSCs), quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) and germanium light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Current research into SiGe based optoelectronic devices is heavily based on nanostructures which employ quantum confinement and is at a stage where basic properties are being studied in order to optimize growth conditions necessary for incorporation into future devices. Ge and SiGe based devices are especially attractive due to ease of monolithic integration with current Si-based CMOS processing technology, longer carrier lifetime, and reduced phonon scattering. Defect formation and transformation was studied in SiGe layers grown on Si and Ge (100) substrates. The epitaxial layers were grown with molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and characterized by X-ray measurements in order to study the accommodation of elastic strain energy in the layers. The accommodation of elastic strain energy specifies the amount of point defects created on the growth surface which may transform into extended crystalline defects in the volume of the layers. An understanding of crystalline defects in high lattice mismatched epitaxial structures is critical in order to optimize growth procedures so that epitaxial structures can be optimized for specific devices such as Ge based solar cells. Considering the optimization of epitaxial layers based on the structural transformation of point defects, Ge solar cells were fabricated and investigated using current-voltage measurements and quantum efficiency data. These Ge solar cells, optimized for long wavelength absorption, were fabricated to be employed in a bonded Ge/Si solar cell device. The doping of self-assembled Ge quantum dot structures grown on Si (100) was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. This is of special interest for Ge quantum dots employed in active device structures where the effect of Ge dot and Si buffer layer doping on structural and luminescence properties must be well understood. Large Ge islands known as "superdomes" were fabricated by MBE and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AFM, and Raman spectroscopy. These Ge nanostructures have the potential to become a direct material through band-structure modification by introducing moderate tensile strain into the Ge layer and band-filling. The results of this research on the growth, fabrication, and characterization of SiGe materials, structures, and devices may be useful for applications in the fields of energy, communication, computation, and remote sensing.