Kinetics of thermal annealing in strained ultrathin Si/Ge superlattices on vicinal Si(100) studied by Raman scattering

We report the experimental studies of in situ kinetic thermal annealing process by Raman scattering obtained from very short period Si/Ge superlattices grown on two types of vicinal Si(100) substrates. The experimental results show that the samples grown on double-stepped vicinal Si(100) substrates have well-defined in-plane strain in the epilayers and rather perfect interfaces. The samples grown on single-stepped vicinal Si(100), on the other hand, appear to have strain-relaxed and imperfect interfaces. The former is also thermodynamically mon stable than the latter, and a suggested explanation is given. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.