Surfactant-controlled solid phase epitaxy of germanium on silicon

Abstract

10-nm-thick germanium layers have been grown on Si(100) with and without antimony as a surfactant, and investigated by RHEED, TEM, and XPS. We obtained smooth epitaxial germanium layers with the antimony surfactant by passing through an island formation stage. These islands, formed below 400 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, are of different structure than the islands obtained without surfactants. A possible mechanism for the ``smoothing out'' of islands developed in the beginning state of surfactant-controlled solid phase epitaxy is proposed.