We describe challenges of the epitaxial Si-cap/Si0.75Ge0.25//Si-substrate growth process, in view of its application in 3D device integration schemes using Si0.75Ge0.25 as backside etch stop layer with a focus on high throughput epi processing without compromising material quality. While fully strained Si0.75Ge0.25 with a thickness >10 times larger than the theoretical thickness for layer relaxation can be grown, it is challenging to completely avoid misfit dislocations at the wafer edge during Si-growth on top of strained Si0.75Ge0.25, even for thinner Si0.75Ge0.25 layers and when growing the Si-cap layer at a lower temperature. Extremely sensitive characterization methods are mandatory to detect the extremely low density of misfit dislocations at the wafer edge. Light scattering measurements are most reliable. The epitaxial Si-cap/Si0.75Ge0.25//Si-substrate layer stacks are stable against post-epi thermal processing steps, typically applied before wafer-to-wafer bonding and Si-substrate and Si0.75Ge0.25 backside removal.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.