High-quality single-crystal Ge on insulator by liquid-phase epitaxy on Si substrates

Ge on insulator (GOI) is desired to obtain metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors with high performance and low leakage current. We have developed a method to make GOI based on liquid-phase epitaxial (LPE) growth on Si substrates and a defect necking technique in which defects are confined to a very short distance. Self-aligned microcrucibles were used to hold the Ge liquid. High-quality single-crystal (100) as well as (111) oriented GOI structures were obtained with a process compatible with Si-based fabrication. No dislocations or stacking faults were found in the LPE Ge films on insulator. The orientation of the Ge crystals was controlled by the seeding Si substrate. This method opens up the possibility of integrating Ge device structures in a baseline Si integrated circuit process.