The influence of the composition of SixGe1-x epitaxial layers, grown on Ge and Si substrates, on the microhardness and length of the dislocation rosette arms formed around indenter marks (at the homological temperatures 0.5Tmelt of the corresponding alloys) were studied. For SixGe1-x/Ge (x = 0 to 0.15) and SixGe1-x/Si alloy (x = 0.85 to 1) heterostructures, a non-monotonic dependence of the parameters investigated on the composition of the solid solution was observed. The most probable reason for these effects was the hardening at a certain composition that occurred in solid solutions.

High-Temperature Microhardness of SiGe Epitaxial Layers Grown on Ge and Si Substrates. M.V.Mezhennyi, M.G.Milvidskii, T.G.Yugova: Journal of Physics - Condensed Matter, 2002, 14[48], 12997-3001