Growth of Crystalline Ge1-xSnx Films on Si (100) by Magnetron Sputtering

Crystalline Ge1-xSnx films were successfully grown on Si (100) substrates by low-temperature magnetron sputtering, using a Ge thin film as a buffer layer. The resulting films were revealed to have a high crystalline quality by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The thermal stability of these films was also studied in detail, demonstrating that sputtered films with a Sn composition 0.06 are stable at 500 degrees C. On the basis of these results, Ge1-xSnx films grown by sputtering appear to have great promise for the cost-effective fabrication of Si-based infrared devices. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.