Molecular beam epitaxy and defect structure of Ge (111)/epi-Gd2O3 (111)/Si (111) heterostructures

Abstract

Molecular beam epitaxy of Ge (111) thin films on epitaxial-Gd2O3/Si(111) substrates is reported, along with a systematic investigation of the evolution of Ge growth and structural defects in the grown epilayer. While Ge growth begins in the Volmer-Weber growth mode, the resultant islands coalesce within the first ∼10 nm of growth, beyond which a smooth two-dimensional surface evolves. Coalescence of the initially formed islands results in the formation of rotation and reflection microtwins, which constitute a volume fraction of less than 1%. It is also observed that while the stacking sequence of the (111) planes in the Ge epilayer is similar to that of the Si substrate, the (111) planes of the Gd2O3 epilayer are rotated by 180° about the [111] direction. In metal-semiconductor-metal Schottky photodiodes fabricated with these all-epitaxial Ge-on-insulator (GeOI) samples, significant suppression of dark current is observed due to the presence of the Gd2O3 epilayer. These results are promising for applications of these GeOI structures as virtual substrates or for realization of high-speed group-IV photonic components.