The physics of heteroepitaxy of 3C–SiC on Si: role of Ge in the optimization of the 3C–SiC/Si heterointerface

Abstract We demonstrate that the S-correlated theory of misfit induced superstructures and its continuity criteria, defined within the framework of the elasticity theory, enables to predict the composition of buffer layers which can optimize the 3C–SiC/Si interface. The effect of incorporating Ge atoms to the carbon source is investigated and the results are compared with the experimental results.