Strained α-Sn thin films on highly lattice-mismatched Ge substrates
Strained α-Sn thin films and stanene (two-dimensional counterpart of α-Sn), which have attracted significant attentions due to their electronic properties as topological insulators, were mostly deposited on nearly lattice-matched substrates through molecular beam epitaxy. In this work, contrary to p...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | article |
| Language: | EN |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doaj.org/article/e28b2c6a7cda420e8afca85495e724b1 |
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| Summary: | Strained α-Sn thin films and stanene (two-dimensional counterpart of α-Sn), which have attracted significant attentions due to their electronic properties as topological insulators, were mostly deposited on nearly lattice-matched substrates through molecular beam epitaxy. In this work, contrary to prior efforts, Sn thin films are deposited on highly lattice-mismatched Ge (100) substrates through physical vapor deposition of solid Sn sources. Three different methods, 1) Acetone/Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), 2) Acetone/IPA/H2O(80°C), and 3) Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)/Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), are used to clean commercially available Ge (100) substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations indicate that compressively strained α-Sn thin films are formed on Ge substrates cleaned by Acetone/IPA/H2O(80°C) or H2O2/HCl, but no peak associated with crystalline α-Sn appears for thin films grown on Ge substrates cleaned by Acetone/IPA. Strained α-Sn thin films deposited on Ge substrates cleaned by Acetone/IPA/H2O(80°C) are further investigated using dielectric force microscopy (DFM). Although Ge substrates where α-Sn thin films are deposited are p-type, DFM images indicate that the α-Sn thin films are n-type. The α-Sn/Ge heterostructures that we demonstrate in this work might be promising in applications in advanced electronics and photonics. |
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