In-Situ Surface Cleaning of Ge(111) and Si(100) for Epitaxial Growth of Ge AT 300°C Using Remote Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract

We have demonstrated low temperature (300°C) Ge epitaxy on Ge(111) and on Si(100) substrates. Critical to this epitaxy has been the use of wet chemistry to produce controlled, thin oxides on the substrates prior to loading into the reactor and an in-situ 300°C hydrogen plasma treatment to remove those oxides from the semiconductor surfaces. Reflection high energy electron diffraction shows the plasma treatments to be effective in producing clean, well-ordered surfaces. This represents a new approach for in-situ cleaning of Ge(111) and Si(100) surfaces.