An investigation was made of H diffusion in hydrogenated <100> Si/Si homoepitaxial structures, which were grown by molecular beam epitaxy at various temperatures. The substrate growth temperature could significantly affect the H diffusion behavior, with higher growth temperatures resulting in deeper H diffusion. For a Si/Si structure grown at the highest temperature (800C), H trapping occurred at the epitaxial Si/Si substrate interface, which results in the formation of (100) oriented microcracks at the interface. The mechanism of H trapping and the potential application of these findings for the development of a method of transferring ultra-thin Si layers were considered.

Effect of Substrate Growth Temperatures on H Diffusion in Hydrogenated Si/Si Homo-Epitaxial Structures Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. L.Shao, J.K.Lee, Y.Q.Wang, M.Nastasi, P.E.Thompson, N.D.Theodore, T.L.Alford, J.W.Mayer, P.Chen, S.S.Lau: Journal of Applied Physics, 2006, 99[12], 126105 (3pp)