Silicon Germanium Carbon Alloy Crystal Growth

我们将通过对外延生长的基础研究和对SiGe的性质的分析来评估在SiGe中通过在CVD生长的SiGe层中掺入1-2个原子百分比的碳来获得应变补偿的可行性，从而提高能带隙。在二元合金中，硅中约10%的Ge原子引入了应变并降低了能隙；相反，在SiGe中仅添加1%至2%的碳就有望补偿应变并提高能隙。如果这是可行的，并且材料在950℃的温度下是热稳定的，那么就有可能通过带隙工程来制造广泛的结构和先进的器件，类似于已经成功展示的化合物半导体的带隙工程，这将是微电子学的重要进展。这项研究将研究硅锗碳合金的外延晶体生长，以了解基本材料的性质，并评估控制Si/SiGe/SiGe异质结构的能隙的可能性，以便将这种材料用于各种先进的硅基器件。三元合金Sigec在简化工艺集成的同时，具有卓越的器件和电路能力。

A fundamental investigation of epitaxial growth and analysis of the properties of SiGeC will be conducted to assess the viability of obtaining strain compensation in SiGe by incorporation of 1 to 2 atomic percent carbon into CVD-grown layers of SiGeC, and thereby raise the energy band gap. In the binary alloy, the presence of about 10 atomic percent Ge in Si introduces strain and lowers the energy gap; in contrast, the addition of only 1 to 2 percent carbon in SiGe is expected to compensate the strain and raise the energy gap. If this is feasible, and the material is thermally stable to temperatures of 950C, it may be possible to fabricate a wide range of structures and advanced devices through band gap engineering of Si/SiGe/SiGeC heterostructures analogous to what has been successfully demonstrated with compound semiconductors, which would represent an important advance in microelectronics. %%% This research will investigate epitaxial crystal growth of silicon germanium carbon alloys to understand basic materials properties, and to assess the possibility of controlling the energy band gap of Si/SiGe/SiGeC heterostructures for utilization of this material in a wide range of advanced silicon-based devices. The ternary alloy, SiGeC, holds the potential of superior device and circuit capability while simplifying process integration.