(Si)GeSn Semiconductors for integrated optoelectronics and quantum electronics

Si-compatible photonic and opto-electronic devices operating at mid-infrared wavelengths can now be fabricated using Sn-containing group IV semiconductor (Si)GeSn alloys, directly grown on a Si substrate. The possibility to independently engineer strain and composition in this new class of semiconductors allows for a high degree of tunability of band structure and lattice parameter of the material, thus enabling a variety of multi-layer heterostructures and low-dimensional systems.
In this presentation, the recent progress in the epitaxial growth of metastable (Si)GeSn semiconductors in a CVD reactor will be discussed. The effect of the growth parameters on the structural and opto-electronic properties will be highlighted, ranging from the macroscopic scale down to the atomic-level, hence providing a deeper understanding of the fundamental properties of this material system. The relevance of (Si)GeSn semiconductors for Si-compatible mid-infrared opto-electronics will be discussed by correlating the material properties (crystalline quality, compositional profile, point defects, dopants incorporation and active carrier concentration) with the opto-electronic properties of p-i-n MIR photodetectors.
[1]Assali,APL 251903(2018),[2]Assali,JAP 025304(2019),[3]Assali,APL 251907(2019)