Oxygen and peculiarities of its precipitation in Si1-xGex

The effect of germanium content (N-Ge less than or equal to 7.4 x 10(21) cm (-3)) in solid solutions Si1-xGex on the behavior of v(3) vibrational mode of oxygen and kinetic formation of the low-temperature (450 degrees C) ther mal donors (TD) was investigated. It has been shown that the higher is Ge c ontent in Si1-xGex, the lower are oxygen loss at heat treatment and TD form ation rate. From the dependencies of the intensity of absorption band, corr esponding to v3 vibrational mode of oxygen, TD concentration and oxygen los s at heat treatment on Ge content in Si1-xGex, an assumption is made that i nterstitial oxygen having Ge atoms in their second or third nearest-neighbo ring sites do not take part in low-temperature TD formation. (C) 1999 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.