Low energy plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LEPECVD) has been app
lied to the synthesis of Si-modulation doped field effect transistor struct
ures, comprising a SiGe relaxed buffer layer and a modulation doped straine
d Si channel. A growth rate of at least 5 nm/s for the relaxed SiGe buffer
layer is well above that obtainable by any other technique. Due to the low
ion energies involved in LEPECVD, ion damage is absent, despite a huge plas
ma density. The structural quality of the LEPECVD grown SiGe buffer layers
is comparable to that of state-of-the-art material. The electronic properti
es of the material were evaluated by growing modulation doped Si quantum we
lls on the buffer layers. We obtain a low temperature (2 K) Hall mobility o
f mu(H)=2.5x10(4) cm(2)/Vs for the electrons in the Si channel at an electr
on sheet density of n(s)=8.6x10(11) cm(-2). (C) 2000 American Institute of
Physics. [S0003-6951(00)01104-9].