Molecular Beam Epitaxy of Si, Ge, and Sn and Their Compounds

Abstract

In the past decade, the increasing need for high-performance micro- and nanoelectronics has driven the research on group IV heterostructure devices, which utilize quantum effects as dominant working principle. The compound semiconductor SiGeSn has presented itself as promising material system for group IV heterostructures due to its unique properties. Prominent applications range from the Si-integrated laser to tunneling field effect transistors for the next complementary metal oxide semiconductor generations. However, the epitaxy of heterostructures requires atomic sharp material transitions as well as high crystal quality, conditions where molecular beam epitaxy is the method of choice since it can take place beyond the thermodynamic equilibrium. Besides the numerous opportunities, the molecular beam epitaxy of SiGeSn poses various challenges, like the limited solid solubility of Sn in Si and Ge and the segregation of Sn. In this chapter, we discuss the molecular beam epitaxy of SiGeSn at ultra-low temperatures to suppress these effects.