ANALYTICAL, STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SIGE LAYERSBY ELECTRON MICROBEAM TECHNIQUES

k-ratios of Ge-L(alpha) and Si-K(alpha) measured at different beam ene rgies allow to evaluate simultaneously composition and thickness of Si Ge layers on a Si substrate. A simple technique applying backscattered electrons also enables estimation of composition of bulk SiGe and of composition and thickness of relatively thick (approximately 200 nm) S iGe layers on Si. Electron channeling patterns of pseudomorphic SiGe/S i structures and of pure Si substrate show no significant differences whereas in relaxed structures a smearing of the pattern with increasin g density of misfit dislocations is observed. Under particular conditi ons the technique of the electron beam induced current permits imaging of recombination-active misfit dislocations with a spatial resolution around 0.2 mum. Moreover, a repulsion of holes due to the valence-ban d offset in a n-Si/SiGe heterostructure was detected.