Investigation of the detailed structure of atomically sharp Ge/SiO/sub 2/ interfaces

The atomic structure of the interface between Ge and SiO/sub 2/ - fabricated by oxidation of Ge-implanted Si - was studied using a combination of density-functional and kinetic-Monte Carlo simulations with atomic-resolution Z-contrast imaging and electron energy-loss spectroscopy with an experimental resolution close to the quantum-mechanical limit. The combination of experimental and theoretical results is consistent with the model of an atomically abrupt Ge/SiO/sub 2/ interface with probably small fractions of Ge in the oxide.