Tunable band structure in diamond–cubic tin–germanium alloys grown on silicon substrates

Abstract Novel chemical methods based on deuterium-stabilized Sn hydrides and ultra-high-vacuum chemical vapor deposition were used to grow Sn x Ge 1− x alloys directly on silicon. Device-quality, strain-free films with a Sn-fraction as high as x =0.2 were obtained. The optical properties provide evidence for a well-defined Ge-like band structure. In particular, the direct band gap E 0 is reduced to a value as low as 0.41 eV for Sn 0.14 Ge 0.86 . The growth of these high-optical quality infrared materials creates entirely new opportunities for band gap engineering on Si.

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