KINETICS OF THERMAL ANNEALING IN STRAINED ULTRATHIN SI GE SUPERLATTICES ON VICINAL SI(100) STUDIED BY RAMAN-SCATTERING/

We report the experimental studies of in situ kinetic thermal annealin g process by Raman scattering obtained from very short period Si/Ge su perlattices grown on two types of vicinal Si(100) substrates. The expe rimental results show that the samples grown on double-stepped vicinal Si(100) substrates have well-defined in-plane strain in the epilayers and rather perfect interfaces. The samples grown on single-stepped vi cinal Si(100), on the other hand, appear to have strain-relaxed and im perfect interfaces. The former is also thermodynamically mon stable th an the latter, and a suggested explanation is given. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.