Structural properties of GeSn thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

GeSn thin films on Ge (001) with various Sn concentrations from 3.36 to 7.62% were grown by molecular beam epitaxy and characterized. The structural properties were analyzed by reciprocal space mapping in the symmetric (004) and asymmetric (224) planes by high resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD). The lateral correlation length (LCL) and the mosaic spread (MS) were extracted for the epi-layer peaks in the asymmetric (224) diffraction. With the increase of Sn concentration, the LCL reduces while the MS increases, indicating degrading crystalline quality. Dislocations were observed in the sample with 7.62% Sn concentration by transmission electron microscope, consistent with the strain relaxation found in XRD mapping. Besides, the surface morphologies were investigated.