Investigation of Ge1-xSnx/Ge with high Sn composition grown at low-temperature

We report on experimental investigations of the growth of Ge1-xSnx film with thickness above the critical thickness using Molecular Beam Epitaxy. A series of Ge1-xSnx films with various Sn compositions up to 14% are deposited on a Ge buffer layer for growth at low temperatures close to the melting point of Sn. Analysis of various measurements shows that the Ge1-xSnx film is defect free in the XTEM image and that Sn is distributed almost uniformly in the film for Sn compositions up to 9.3%. The Sn composition of the films is higher than the Sn composition that is theoretically predicted to cause the energy band of Ge to change from an indirect to a direct bandgap; thus, the present investigation provides a method for growing direct bandgap GeSn film, which is desired for use in applications involving optoelectronic devices. Copyright 2011 Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. [doi:10.1063/1.3656246]