Device-Based Threading Dislocation Assessment in Germanium Hetero-Epitaxy

A review on the electrical activity of extended defects and, more specifically, threading dislocations in germanium hetero-epitaxial layers is reported here. Focus is on the impact of some basic types of devices, like a p-n junction diode, a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) capacitor and a Fin-Field-Effect Transistor (FinFET) fabricated in Ge-on-Si. A good understanding of the impact on the leakage current and lifetime in p-n diodes will be shown. Deep-Level Transient Spectroscopy on Ge MOScaps enables the investigation of bulk and interface states related to threading dislocations Finally, the application of Generation-Recombination (GR) noise spectroscopy to the study of GR centers in strained and relaxed Ge-on-Si FinFETs will be illustrated.