Ge/GeSn heterostructures grown on Si (100) by molecular-beam epitaxy

The growth of GeSn layers by molecular-beam epitaxy on Si (100) wafers coated with a germanium buffer layer is investigated. The properties of the fabricated structures are controlled by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic-force microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Rutherford backscattering, and Raman scattering. It is shown that GeSn layers with thicknesses up to 0.5 $\mu$m and Sn molar fractions up to 0.073 manifest no sign of plastic relaxation upon epitaxy. The lattice constant of the GeSn layers within the growth plane is precisely the same as that of Ge. The effect of rapid thermal annealing on the conversion of metastable elastically strained GeSn layers into a plastically relaxed state is examined. Ge/GeSn quantum wells with Sn molar fraction up to 0.11 are obtained.