GePb Alloy Growth Using Layer Inversion Method
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Murtadha Alher; Sattar Al-Kabi; Seyed Amir Ghetmiri; Hakimah Alahmad; Aboozar Mosleh; Seyedeh Fahimeh Banihashemian; Shui-Qing Yu; Bauhoa Li; Hameed A. Naseem; Wei Du
- Source
- Journal of Electronic Materials. 47:3733-3740
- Subject
- 010302 applied physics
Materials science
Annealing (metallurgy)
Scanning electron microscope
Analytical chemistry
Recrystallization (metallurgy)
02 engineering and technology
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Condensed Matter Physics
01 natural sciences
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
law.invention
Crystallinity
symbols.namesake
law
Transmission electron microscopy
0103 physical sciences
Materials Chemistry
symbols
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Crystallization
0210 nano-technology
Raman spectroscopy
Metal-induced crystallization
- Language
- ISSN
- 1543-186X
0361-5235
Germanium–lead films have been investigated as a new direct-bandgap group IV alloy. GePb films were deposited on Si via thermal evaporation of Ge and Pb solid sources using the layer inversion metal-induced crystallization method for comparison with the current laser-induced recrystallization method. Material characterization of the films using x-ray diffraction analysis revealed highly oriented crystallinity and Pb incorporation as high as 13.5% before and 5.2% after annealing. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive x-ray mapping of the samples revealed uniform incorporation of elements and complete layer inversion. Optical characterization of the GePb films by Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence techniques showed that annealing the samples resulted in higher crystalline quality as well as bandgap reduction. The bandgap reduction from 0.67 eV to 0.547 eV observed for the highest-quality material confirms the achievement of a direct-bandgap material.