Quantitative local strain measurements in compressive strained Ge/tensile strained Si bi-layers grown on top of relaxed Si0.5Ge0.5 virtual substrates

✍ Scribed by N. Cherkashin; M.J. Hÿtch; E. Snoeck; F. Hüe; J.M. Hartmann; Y. Bogumilowicz; A. Claverie

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 391 KB
• Volume: 253
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0168-583X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2006.10.051

✦ Synopsis

This paper reports on quantitative measurements of strain in a 7.5 nm compressive strained Ge/5.1 nm tensile strained Si bi-layer grown by reduced pressure chemical vapour deposition on top of a relaxed Si 0.5 Ge 0.5 virtual substrate. Geometric phase analysis of high resolution transmission electron microscopy images acquired using the SACTEM-Toulouse, an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope, is used to quantify the strain within s-Ge and s-Si layers. Finite element simulations are carried out to estimate the impact of strain relaxation in thin areas of a TEM specimen. Experimental results are compared with the predictions of elasticity theory and finite element simulations.