Thermal stability of hyper-doped n-type Ge and Si <sub>0.15</sub> Ge <sub>0.85</sub> epilayers obtained by <i>in situ</i> doping and pulsed laser melting
The thermal stability of hyper-doped Ge-on-Si and SiGe-on-Si films featuring carrier concentrations exceeding 5 × 10<sup>19</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup> obtained by <i>in situ</i> doping and pulsed laser melting has been studied. The deactivation kinetics was systematically analysed through rapid thermal annealing, reflection spectroscopy and electrical characterization. The results demonstrate that, while hyper-doped Ge films exhibit rapid deactivation at temperatures above 300 °C, SiGe offers enhanced thermal stability. Surface morphology analysis confirms the preservation of flatness after pulsed laser melting and thermal treatments, suggesting possible exploitation of these materials as substrates for further growth. These findings provide insights into optimizing hyper-doped material platforms for mid-infrared photonic devices and advanced semiconductor applications, emphasizing the trade-offs between the initial carrier concentration and the thermal resilience.
Authors
- M. Canepa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5148-1233)
- Stefano Calcaterra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7543-8360)
- Marco Faverzani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9616-7563)
- Francesco Bisio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1776-3023)
- M. Magnozzi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4512-8430)
- Jacopo Frigerio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2117-2744)
- Enrico Di Russo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3829-6567)
- Giovanni Isella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5951-7440)
- E. Napolitani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2562-8860)
- Paolo Biagioni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4272-7040)
- Davide Impelluso
- Giulia Maria Spataro
Institutions
- University of Padua (IT)
- Superconducting and other Innovative Materials and Devices Institute (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Genova (IT)
- University of Genoa (IT)
- Politecnico di Milano (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Materials Chemistry C
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1039/d5tc02390d
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Semiconductor Detectors and Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.19
Funders
- European Commission
- Università degli Studi di Padova