Characterization of SiGe/Si multi-quantum wells for infrared sensing

SiGe epitaxial layers are integrated as an active part in thermal detectors. To improve their performance, deeper understanding of design parameters, such as thickness, well periodicity, quality, and strain amount, of the layers/interfaces is required. Oxygen (2-2500 x 10(-9) Torr) was exposed prior or during epitaxy of SiGe/Si multilayers. In this range, samples with 10 nTorr oxygen were processed to investigate layer quality and noise measurements. Temperature coefficient of resistance was also measured to evaluate the thermal response. These results demonstrate sensitivity of SiGe-based devices to size and location of defects in the structure. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.