Low-temperature homoepitaxial growth on high-miscut Si(111) mediated by thin overlayers of Pb

Homoepitaxial growth of Si on high-angle miscut (3.0 degrees) Si(111) substrates through an overlayer of Pb is shown to occur at 280 degrees C. In this work, films can be deposited up to 2000 Angstrom in thickness with no indication that this is an upper limit for high-quality epitaxy. Samples were analyzed using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that a distinct range of Pb coverage (0.8-1.0 monolayer) results in the best quality growth, with no measurable amount of Pb trapped at either the interface or within the grown films. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02345-1].