Organometallic vapor phase epitaxy will be used to generate germanium films on a silicon substrate leading to silicon-germanium alloy and heterostructure formation. The films will be produced as ultra-thin (1-10 atomic layer) structures as a means to engineering the electronic properties of the desired interfaces. Interactions of the films with the silicon substrate will be investigated using SIMS, UPS and XPS surface science techniques. These studies are aimed at a mechanistic understanding of the surface processes involved in the deposition of epitaxial germanium films. %%% The research, in the general area of Analytical and Surface Chemistry, focuses on the formation of ultra-thin germanium films on silicon, leading to silicon-germanium alloys. The results of the research promise to improve our general understanding of these alloys which have considerable potential in integrated optoelectonic devices, transistors and thin film capacitors.
