Growth of strained-layer semiconductor-metal-semiconductor heterostructures

Single crystal epitaxial strained-layer semiconductor-metal-semiconductor heterostructures have been grown for the first time. Silicon layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy over thin (<100 Å) NiSi₂ layers on Si(111). The presence of ∼20 Å Si template layers formed at low temperature (<500 °C) on the silicide was shown to have a dramatic effect on subsequent Si growth. The overgrown Si layers were rotated 180° with respect to the NiSi₂ and had a channeling minimum yield of ∼3%. Epitaxial strained-layer semiconductor-metal-semiconductor heterostructures represent a new class of material system with potential for high-speed device applications.