Defect Characterization in Ge/(001)Si Epitaxial Films Grown by Reduced-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition

We studied the microstructural characteristics and electrical properties of epitaxial Ge films grown on Si(001) substrates by x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The films were grown using a two-step technique by reduced-pressure chemical vapor deposition, where the first step promotes two-dimensional growth at a lower substrate temperature. We observed a decrease in defect density with increasing film thickness. Ge films with thickness of 3.5 μm exhibited threading dislocation densities of 5 × 106 cm−2, which yielded devices with dark current density of 5 mA cm−2 (1 V reverse bias). We also noted the presence of stacking faults in the form of lines in the films and establish that this is an important defect for Ge films grown by this deposition technique.