Growth of epitaxial SiGe alloys as etch-stop layers in germanium-on-insulator fabrication

In this study, the application of epitaxially grown SixGe1-x films as etch stop layers in a germanium-on-insulator substrate fabrication flow is investigated. Layers with Ge contents from 15% to 70% were epitaxially grown on Si (1 0 0) using silane and germane. It was found that the Ge content in the films is independent of the growth temperature for fixed partial pressure ratios. At low growth temperatures the activation energy is found to be 1.8 eV which points to a hydrogen desorption limited growth rate mechanism. At growth temperatures of less than 500℃, the surface roughness is 400:1 towards Ge in diluted SC-1. This result enables the integration of the Si0.5Ge0.5 film as an etch stop layer for single crystalline germanium-on-insulator substrate fabrication. QC 20210506