Defects in a strained Si/SiGe system were examined using two etching techniques and atomic force microscopy. The material consisted of strained Si layers on thin strain-relaxed buffers grown by using a carbon-induced relaxation technique. For the first time, wavelength-filtering techniques were applied to AFM images in order to identify non-destructively the surface steps associated with misfit dislocations. Quantifications of the dislocation density using this method were in good agreement with the results obtained using etching techniques.

Defect Identification in Strained Si/SiGe Heterolayers for Device Applications. E.Escobedo-Cousin, S.H.Olsen, A.G.O'Neill, H.Coulson: Journal of Physics D, 2009, 42[17], 175306