Ge quantum dot arrays grown by ultrahigh vacuum molecular beam epitaxy on the Si(001) surface: nucleation, morphology and CMOS compatibility

Issues of morphology, nucleation and growth of Ge cluster arrays deposited by ultrahigh vacuum molecular beam epitaxy on the Si(001) surface are considered. Difference in nucleation of quantum dots during Ge deposition at low (<600 deg C) and high (>600 deg. C) temperatures is studied by high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy. The atomic models of growth of both species of Ge huts---pyramids and wedges---are proposed. The growth cycle of Ge QD arrays at low temperatures is explored. A problem of lowering of the array formation temperature is discussed with the focus on CMOS compatibility of the entire process; a special attention is paid upon approaches to reduction of treatment temperature during the Si(001) surface pre-growth cleaning, which is at once a key and the highest-temperature phase of the Ge/Si(001) quantum dot dense array formation process. The temperature of the Si clean surface preparation, the final high-temperature step of which is, as a rule, carried out directly in the MBE chamber just before the structure deposition, determines the compatibility of formation process of Ge-QD-array based devices with the CMOS manufacturing cycle. Silicon surface hydrogenation at the final stage of its wet chemical etching during the preliminary cleaning is proposed as a possible way of efficient reduction of the Si wafer pre-growth annealing temperature.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figure

Study of contact formation by high temperature deposition of Ni on SiC

We report the observation, by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), of island formation on SIC during high temperature deposition and annealing of thin Ni films. Ni films with a nominal thickness of 2.5 monolayers were sputter deposited onto H-2-etched single crystal 6H-SiC (0001) substrates heated to 600 degreesC in an ultrahigh vacuum STM system. After the substrates were annealed to 800-1000 degreesC, island formation was observed by STM. The islands were 0.1-0.5 mum in diameter, similar to 30 nm high, and separated by similar to2 mum from each other, with an exceptionally flat top with a peculiar 'stitched' surface structure. A second type of island, similar to1.5 mum in diameter, similar to 10 nm high, and separated by similar to 10 mum from each other, was observed by ex situ AFM and SEM. Microspot AES showed that the first islands are composed of Ni and C, while the second islands are composed of Ni, C, and Si. AES lineshape studies showed that the carbon in both types of islands is graphitically bound as opposed to the carbon in the substrate which is carbidically bound. From comparisons to literature, we believe that the first islands are a new type of graphite intercalation compound. An indexing of Ni on the top graphite sheets is presented for each anneal temperature