α-Sn and α-Sn1−xGex film growth, characterization, and stability

We report studies of α-Sn and α-Sn
i-x
Ge
x
films grown by molecular beam epitaxy to measure elastic properties and exhibit phase stability. We demonstrate single-crystal films for x ≤ 0.06, well beyond the 0.01 solubility limit for Ge in metallic ß-Sn, and suggest any Sn-Ge composition is possible under the proper epitaxial constraints.