| PHD Student
Université du Québec
Institut national de la recherche scientifique
Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications
1650, boulevard Lionel-Boulet
Varennes, Québec, Canada
J3X 1S2
Telephone: +1 (450) 929-8251
Fax: +1 (450) 929-8102
riabinina@emt.inrs.ca
www.emt.inrs.ca
|
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The heteroepitaxial growth of Ge on Si is known to result in the self-assembly
of three dimensional nano-islands, which may trap charge carriers in atomic-like
potentials, to be exploited for diverse applications. Nevertheless, the
deposition of Ge on Si surfaces by traditional techniques generally leads
to rather poor optoelectronic properties of statistical ensembles of the
grown islands. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) represents an emerging tool,
which allows for varying with unique flexibility the kinetic parameters
of the growth process. By ablating the surface of a Ge target with short
and intense laser pulses, a Ge plasma plume is generated, which may contain
high-energy Ge atoms and clusters. This, in turn, allows for maintaining
a low thermal balance at the Si substrate surface, the excess kinetic
energy of the deposited Ge atoms being sufficient to assure the self-assembly
of the nano-islands. The project consists in exploring this new range
of possible growth conditions, with the aim of improving the optoelectronic
features of Ge on Si surfaces.
Atomic force microscopy image of a Ge
nanostructured film deposited by PLD on a Si(001) surface covered by the
native Si oxide. Image dimensions: 1 µm X 1 µm. |
