Thermal phenomena in silicon-germanium molecular beam epitaxial growth

Thermally activated processes control nearly all steps in the cleaning, growth and doping of molecular-beam-grown epitaxial films. The temperature dependence of five such processes important in the emerging technology of MBE growth of silicon and germanium films is discussed: (1) SiO/sub 2/ removal in the initial cleaning of the substrate, (2) surface diffusion during normal MBE growth, (3) the 'sticking' coefficient of dopants evaporated during growth, (4) the process of solid phase epitaxial regrowth and (5) thermal relief of strain in Si-Ge strained superlattices.<
>