Nucleation of dislocations in SiGe layers grown on (001)Si

Abstract

A comprehensive x-ray-diffraction study of the variation of the tilt angle between a Si1-xGex layer and the (001) Si substrate is presented. Such measurements provide the basis of a new method for determining the nucleation activation energy of misfit dislocations. A detailed model, independent of the particular relaxation mechanism, is derived which relates the tilt angle to the nucleation activation energy on the different slip systems and to the density of misfit dislocations. The model has been applied to the modified Frank-Read mechanism observed in graded samples. Relaxation occurs in such samples for strain in the range 0.002≤ε≤0.006 with an activation energy of about 4 eV. The critical thickness for growth of a strained layer is shown to be smaller when the substrate is miscut than when it is well oriented.