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Large Area and Depth-Profiling Dislocation Imaging and Strain Analysis in Si/SiGe/Si Heterostructures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2014

Xin Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
Daniel Zuo
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Seongwon Kim
Affiliation:
Engineering Ceramic Center, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology, Icheon 467-843, Korea
James Mabon
Affiliation:
Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Mauro Sardela
Affiliation:
Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Jianguo Wen
Affiliation:
Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Argonne National Laboratory, Electron Microscopy Center, Nanoscience & Technology, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
Jian-Min Zuo*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
*
*Corresponding author. jianzuo@illinois.edu
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Abstract

We demonstrate the combined use of large area depth-profiling dislocation imaging and quantitative composition and strain measurement for a strained Si/SiGe/Si sample based on nondestructive techniques of electron beam-induced current (EBIC) and X-ray diffraction reciprocal space mapping (XRD RSM). Depth and improved spatial resolution is achieved for dislocation imaging in EBIC by using different electron beam energies at a low temperature of ~7 K. Images recorded clearly show dislocations distributed in three regions of the sample: deep dislocation networks concentrated in the “strained” SiGe region, shallow misfit dislocations at the top Si/SiGe interface, and threading dislocations connecting the two regions. Dislocation densities at the top of the sample can be measured directly from the EBIC results. XRD RSM reveals separated peaks, allowing a quantitative measurement of composition and strain corresponding to different layers of different composition ratios. High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy cross-section analysis clearly shows the individual composition layers and the dislocation lines in the layers, which supports the EBIC and XRD RSM results.

Type
Materials Applications
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2014 

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