Abstract
An experimental investigation is conducted into the formation Ge nanoclusters by heat treatment of germanosilicate-glass (Si x Ge y O z ) films that are produced by oxidation of Ge-doped nanostructured polysilicon. It employs Auger and IR spectroscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The process by which Ge atoms in the films are transported toward the substrate is found to include the following stages: (1) the formation of a GeO2 and a SiO2 phase, (2) the reduction of GeO2 to Ge by Si, (3) Ge-crystallite nucleation, and (4) Ge-crystallite growth. Heat treatment in humid oxygen at ≥ 800°C is found to increase Ge-nanocluster size, the point of crystallization being 500°C. It is established that heat treatment at a temperature close to the Ge melting point results in complete aggregation of the germanium into clusters, with a twofold increase in both the mean size and the number of clusters. Germanium is found to accumulate at the interface between oxidized and unoxidized polysilicon.
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Original Russian Text © A.A. Kovalevsky, A.S. Strogova, D.V. Plyakin, 2009, published in Mikroelektronika, 2009, Vol. 38, No.2, pp. 130–142.
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Kovalevsky, A.A., Strogova, A.S. & Plyakin, D.V. Ge-nanocluster formation in Ge-doped polysilicon films under oxidation and heat treatment. Russ Microelectron 38, 118–129 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1134/S106373970902005X
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S106373970902005X