Thermally treated Ge crystallites embedded inside PS with Si capping layer for potential photonics application

Germanium is an interesting group IV semiconductor for its high carrier mobility and is considered for the application in high speed electronics. It also displays unique optical properties at the nanoscale and holds potential for the application in photonics [1]. Many techniques have been employed to grow Ge nanostructures such as self-assembled growth of Ge nanometer islands in highly strained system using sophisticated Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE)[2] and Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition(LPCVD) techniques [3]. Huang et al [4] used porous silicon (PS) as the substrate for Ge quantum dots formation. The Ge was deposited by using UHV-CVD technique. They successfully showed potential PS as a patterned substrate for the Ge dot formation which showed emission at the infrared region.